Love Me Tender, Love Me True
by AthenaRavenclaw13
Summary: Lily Smith isn't your typical Greaser girl. She wears decent clothes and doesn't drink or smoke. Lily has skipped a grade in school and now she is all alone. That is until she meets Ponyboy Curtis and the gang. She and him fall for each other. The road to happiness is a bumpy one, but is always worth it in the end. Part One of "Love Me Tender" series.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. Get ready for a nice long story! I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 1**

It was the first day of school and needless to say, I was not happy about it. At all.

I knew it was going to be awkward, with me skipping a grade and all. The school thought was I was smart enough that I could skip the eighth grade, so I jumped from seventh to ninth. None of my friends were skipping a grade so I was going to be all alone. I'm only 13, but turning 14 this fall.

In my hometown of Tulsa, there were mainly two social classes. First there were the Socs. They were the rich ones who lived on the West side of town. The ones who had fancy cars and clothes and who had lives that seemed, well, perfect.

Then there are the Greasers. They lived on the East side and where known for robbing stores, dropping out of school, and generally just being juvenile delinquents and criminals.

I was a Greaser, although I didn't act like the stereotypical Greaser girl. I don't smoke or drink, I wear my skirts a decent length and I would never dream of committing crimes. I get good grades (hence me skipping a grade) and don't like fighting even though I knew perfectly well how to. I have parents that love me which I unfortunately can't say for a lot of kids in my neighborhood.

I woke up at 5:30 in the morning and after eating breakfast and drinking coffee to keep my going, I chose to wear a light blue dress that flounced when I walked and went down to my knees and my new pair of grey Converse. What can I say, I like to make good first impressions.

I have caramel brown-blond hair that goes down to my hips and since it was still hot outside (and because my hair REFUSES to stay curled), I French-braided a little section at the front, tied it off with a little elastic, and braided the rest over my right shoulder. I don't really like makeup so I just put some mascara on my eyelashes. I liked my eyes, but hated the color. They were boring brown, but you take what you've got.

I said goodbye to my parents, brother and sister (they are 10 year old twins), and rushed out the door so I could walk to school in time.

When I got into the building almost had an anxiety attack. I already had my schedule, so after finding my homeroom I speed-walked to my locker as best as you can in a crowded high school hallway, shoved my books in and went off to my first class.

First period was English class and I couldn't have been happier. I absolutely love reading and writing so I was in my element. There were almost no empty seats left, so when I finally found one I immediately sat down.

My table-mate was a boy. I could see that clearly. It looked like he was from my side of town with his greased back longer hair, jeans and Converse. When I sat down, tucking my dress under me, he looked up. He had green-grey eyes, his hair was darker than mine even with the grease and had a reddish tint to it. He didn't look jumpy per say. But he looked just as anxious as me.

The boy grinned lightly at me and sat up a little straighter. "Hi", he said, "I'm new here".

"Did you just move here?", I questioned. His accent was local, so I was confused.

"No", he laughed shakily, "I skipped eighth grade." I was shocked. I thought I was the only one who had skipped eighth grade here.

"So did I!", I exclaimed.

"Well, great minds think alike I suppose and apparently we both have great minds."

I laughed at his comment and introduced myself, "I'm Lily Smith".

"Mine's Ponyboy Curtis", he answered back and become I could ask if that was his real name, the teacher walked in.

He introduced himself as Mr. Syme and he seemed nice. After taking attendance, he passed out a paper on things like similes, metaphors, and idioms. Who knew we'd get actual work on the first day of school.

While we were working on the paper, I turned to Ponyboy and quietly whispered, "Is Ponyboy your real name?"

He looked at me with a bemused smirk on his face that instantly told me that he'd been asked this question a million times. "Yep. I've got a brother named Sodapop too. It says so on his birth certificate. Our dad was real original."

It seemed as though he was waiting for me to judge him even though in my opinion there wasn't anything to judge.

"I like it", I stated while smiling, "It's very unique. I've never heard a name like it."

Ponyboy smiled back at me and we both went back to our papers.

We soon figured out that we had the same academic schedules (I guess they thought that the two "skipees" could help each other out). For the rest of the day we continued talking and I found out that Ponyboy's parents both died in a terrible car accident 8 months prior, so his oldest brother Darry who was only 20 was raising him and his brother Sodapop. Ponyboy had just turned 14 in July and Sodapop was almost 17. Sodapop dropped out of school to support the family and worked at the DX and Darry had given up his dreams of going to college to raise them.

Pony (he said most people call him that instead of his full name) did track, but they didn't have practice today because it was only the first day of school, so we decided to walk home together since we were both going to basically the same place. In our part of town, or any part of town really, it wasn't very safe to walk alone on the side of town that you weren't from. There was a very high possibility of getting jumped and for mostly the girls there was also the possibility of other things happening that I just don't like talking about (hence why I know how to fight).

While we were walking, we talked more, but mostly about our interests. We both like Elvis (my favorite songs by him are "Can't Help Falling In love" and "Jailhouse Rock", Pony's favorite is "Love Me Tender"), books (my favorite is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and his was Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell), movies, and sitting and looking at things like sunsets and stars.

Pony dropped me off at my house and while we were standing on the porch said, "Maybe we could see a movie sometime, seeing as we both like so much." He saw me looking skeptically at him and he quickly added, "As friends of course". He had a wild blush across his cheeks and his ears turned red.

"That sounds fun. Will we be walking together again tomorrow?"

Ponyboy nodded and attempted to cock an eyebrow, "We wouldn't want either of us gettin' jumped, now would we?"

"No", I laughed at his attempt and successfully did it myself, "7:15 sharp, ya hear?"

"Yes ma'am", he responded saluting.

"See you tomorrow, Pony", I said smiling wide at my new friend.

"See ya tomorrow, Lily", Pony told me smiling then turing around and quickly running so he wouldn't get in trouble with Darry for being late.

I walked into the house to see the smirking face of my mom.

"Is that your new boyfriend?", she joked as my face became hot.

Her comment prompted the twins, Henry and Anna to start chanting in singsong voices, "Lily's got a boyfriend! Lily's got a boyfriend!"

"He is just a friend who happens to be a male!", I called to them while walking upstairs to my room so I could do my homework (Who gives homework on the first day of school? These teachers. That's who).

 _Today wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be_ , I thought to myself. And it was true I now had a friend who I actually had classes with and was nice. I couldn't wait for the next day.

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 2**

My parents did not have the reaction I was expecting when I told them that I was going to a movie with a boy. I thought they would have given me the talk that they had given me a thousand times; "no dating until you're 18" (even though Ponyboy and I were just friends) and all that jazz. They were actually kind of okay with the whole thing.

"He will be picking you up from here, correct?", My dad questioned me. I nodded. "And your going out just as friends?" I nodded again. "Yes, you can go, but there are rules"

"Shoot", I told him and my mom who was standing next him with her arms crossed over her chest. For some strange reason, Dad was taking this better than her which I was also not at all expecting.

"When's he picking you up?"

"4:30. Then we are going to his house so I can have dinner with his family and meet them all."

"You are to be on your best behavior when your over there, understood? And y'all have to be back by 10:00 and that's only because it's not a school night. If he does anything to you, and I mean anything, you don't like you tell us."

"Dad, he's a perfect gentleman. He would never intentionally make me uncomfortable. And besides we're just friends.", I reminded him.

"I know, I know", Dad said smirking and chuckling lightly, "I just want you to be safe and not do anything stupid."

I was getting bored at how long this was taking. "So I can go if I agree to all the rules?"

"Yes"

"Well, I agree to all of 'em. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go confirm my plans with Ponyboy over the phone."

I giddily skipped to the phone and dialed in Pony's number. It was about a month into school and the air was getting colder, but I liked it. The in-between seasons had always been my favorite.

"Curtis residence, Sodapop speaking", a voice said through the receiver.

"Can I please speak with Ponyboy?", I inquired.

"And may I ask who this is?"

"I'm his friend from school. My name's Lily."

I could practically hear Soda grinning over the phone as he yelled out, "Pony! Ya girlfriend's on the line for you!"

I blushed heavily and twisted the cord around my finger as I heard the phone switch hands and a razor of laughter and yelling from the other side.

"Hi, Lily. Sorry about him", Pony said, "So what'd your parents say?"

I kept saying that I would ask them about the movie, but never did until tonight although Pony waited very patiently for the answer.

"It's fine", I told him referring to Sodapop, "They said yes!"

"That's great! So pick you up tomorrow at your house at 4:30?"

"That's the plan. See you at school tomorrow, Pony."

"See ya tomorrow", he responded and I knew he was smiling just as much as I was, maybe even more.

"Are you excited for tonight?", Ponyboy asked during English class. We were writing essays on this short story that we had read.

"Of course I am!", I responded, "Are you?"

"Yes, but I'm just a little nervous about you meeting the rest of the gang. They're…how do I put this..loud, rambunctious, and just plain crazy. And don't be surprised if one of 'em starts joking around and calling you my girlfriend."

"I know", I told him quietly giggling, "I could tell that very easily from the phone call last night."

"Yeah, I'm still sorry about that", he said rubbing the back of his neck, "I should've expected them to do something like that."

"Like I said, it's fine. On the first day of school when you dropped me off at my house, my brother and sister started teasing me about having a 'boyfriend'", I said putting air quotes around "boyfriend".

Then the bell rang signaling the end of the period. The schedule switches depending on the day of the week, so today I had English class last period.

"See you at 4:30!", Pony yelled to my while jogging off to track practice.

"See you then!", I called, standing on tip-toe so he could see me waving to him over the mob of students.

It was 3:45 and I was very nervous. I was flipping out. I was raiding through my closet, looking for a good outfit to wear tonight while my best friend, Ashlynn, sat Indian style on my bed with an amused smile on her face.

"Why are you driving yourself up a wall about this?", she asked, "You're just goin' to his house and then to the movies". She knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. I guess that's what happens when you've known someone since preschool. Ashley was smaller than I was, but only by a few inches. Her hair was the same length as mine, but it was dark brown and her eyes changed from grey to green to blue-green depending on the light.

"You know what, Ash? I have absolutely no idea", I responded flopping down on my bed next to her.

"If y'all are just friends then why would it matter what you wear?"

"I like making good first impressions. You know that", I said with her nodding and rolling her hand in a "go on" motion, "I dunno." I had started to pace and then I belly-flopped on the bed almost on top of Ashlynn.

"Hey!", she laughed while pushing me away from her. When I almost fell off the bed, we both cracked up.

I checked the clock again. "Oh, crap! It's 4:00! Ash, I love ya and all, but I don't think you want to see me hyperventilate about what I want to wear. And besides, your parents'll want you home for dinner." Luckily, Ashley had an okay home too even though she was a "Greaser". Her dad left when she was really little, but she had her mom. She was only child and her mom was wonderful.

"Ok", she sighed, getting up from my bed, "Have fun on your "date". She made an exaggerated wink, lightly elbowed my in the arm, hugged me, and left.

"Alrighty then", I said going back over to my closet sighing, "What to do…"

After briefly having a panic attack over my outfit, I finally picked out a lavender colored dress with black flats, and a black button-up sweater. I left my hair down. I had a little French-braid in the front and my hair had been in a braid during school that made it wavy (I had to hair spray my hair within 5 minutes of taking it out so the waves would stay). I wore a small silver ring with a fleur de lis on it that I had gotten from my grandmother as an early birthday present. My birthday was this Sunday and I knew that we would have a little family gathering at my house with a few presents and some cake, but that's how I liked it. I've never really liked a lot of attention drawn to me.

I walked downstairs at 4:30 to see Pony at the door and my dad talking to him. _Oh no_ , I thought. I hid at the top to hear their conversation.

"How old are you, son?", Dad asked. Ponyboy looked a little scared but was doing a good job at hiding it.

"I'm 14, Sir", Pony responded, "I turned 14 in July, but I was put ahead a year in school, so I'm in Lily's grade."

My dad seemed to like this answer, but asked another question, "What are you and my daughter going to be doing tonight?"

"We are going to my house to have dinner with my family. Then we are going to see a movie."

My dad leaned in enough that Pony was probably uncomfortable, "Lily is my oldest child. My oldest _daughter_ ", he emphasized the word "daughter", "If you do anything to hurt her, and I mean anything, I will personally make sure you can't walk ever again. Understood?"

Ponyboy nodded rapidly with eyes as big as saucers and said, "Of course, Sir. I would never do anything to her. She's one of my best friends."

I took this as my queue to intervene before my dad could scare Pony off. Walking down the stairs, I saw Pony visibly relax which made my grin even bigger.

"Hi, Pony! Are you ready to go?"

"Yep. Let's go. After you my lady", he joked as he gestured to the door.

"Why, thank you fine sir", I played along with a slight curtsy.

Dad rolled his eyes and said "Remember 10:00 and not a minute later."

"I know, Dad. Love you", I said and kissed his cheek.

"I love you too, honey. Have fun."

Then Ponyboy and I left the house and started the walk to his. I knew it would be an eventful night to say the least, but I was more excited than I'd been in a long time.

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 3**

"You look pretty tonight, Lily", Ponyboy told me nervously.

"Do I not always look pretty?", I joked.

Pony's ears turned red, "No, I… I just…", he stuttered.

"I was just kidding, Pony. No need to worry. And thank you. I have to say that you look quite handsome tonight too." I wasn't lying. He looked more cleaned up that usual. His hair was greased back as usual, but today he had on a clean pair of jeans (he told me he usually gets hand-me-down jeans from Sodapop that have oil and car grease on them), a green t-shirt that looked good with his eyes, relatively clean black Converse, and a jean jacket.

"Thank you", He said, still blushing, "Well, we're here."

The Curtis house was small and a little run-down, but the light streaming from its windows and the laughing and yelling from inside made you know that the house wasn't a house, but a home.

"Let's go", I said excitedly, a grin making its way onto my face. I grabbed Pony's arm, "You're not scared, are ya?"

" 'Course not. I'm a man", Pony joked, puffing out his chest, "We're not scared of anything".

"If you say so manly-man", I teased. He held out his arm and I took it as we walked into the house.

"Ladies first", Ponyboy said while opening the door. Our arms were still linked, so I kind of dragged him into the house when I walked in.

"Well lookie here".

I had been laughing at Pony since he got hit by the door, but quickly looked up. Standing in front of Pony and I was a tall boy, probably about 6 feet, with slicked back golden brown hair (nearly the same color as mine) and brown eyes. He was handsome and from Pony's descriptions of him, I'd guess that it was Sodapop.

"I got myself a twin!", Soda exclaimed, pulling me next to him. We were obviously different genders, but our physical characteristics were pretty similar.

"I'm guessin' you're Soda", I said, turning to look at him.

"The one and only", Soda said dramatically leaning down and kissing my hand, "And _I'm_ guessin'", he started, repeating what I'd said to him, "that you're Lily."

"You are correct" I remarked, smirking at him. I looked over at Pony who had a smile on his face that told me that he was very happy that Soda and I were getting along so well.

"C'mon, Soda", Pony said playfully while grabbing me back from his brother, "Let's have her meet the others".

Pony and I linked arms again as we walked into the living room where everyone was doing something or other. There were 2 boys wrestling on the ground, 2 more boys sitting on the couch, and 1 sitting in a recliner nonchalantly reading the newspaper as if nothing unusual was going on. The boys on the couch were talking about something, although only one of them seemed to be doing the talking. The other boy just sat there listening while nodding occasionally and making small comments like, "Yeah" and "Mhm".

Once everyone noticed that we were there, they stopped what they were doing and looked at us. It was funny considering the boys that where wrestling. One of them had the other mid-headlock and the one in said headlock was squirming and struggling to get free.

"Guys this is Lily. Lily, these are the guys", Pony announced, trying not to laugh at their antics.

"Hi, boys. It's nice to finally meet y'all", I said to all of them.

"There's Darry, Two-Bit, Johnny, Dally, and Steve", Pony told me, pointing at each one individually.

Darry was the one reading the newspaper. He was big and muscular just like Pony had described him. He gave me a warm smile and then looked at the boys on the ground, seeming to finally realize what they were doing. He rolled his eyes at them and went back to his paper.

Two-Bit and Steve were the ones on the ground wrestling. Two-Bit got to his feet with a huge grin on his face, pulling Steve right along with him. Steve did not look happy. I had stifle a laugh at his facial expression.

Johnny and Dally were on the couch. When Pony said his name, Johnny quickly scrambled to his feet, muttered a quick "Hi" to me and sat back down. Dally was a whole other story.

"Now what do we have here", Dally said as he got up, "A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be with a wimp like Pony here". Dally tried to put his arm around my shoulders, but I pried it away.

"No thank you", I snapped at him, "I am not a "thing". I am a person. And I swear on all that is holy, if you call me a broad I will not hesitate to hurt you."

All the boys, even Dally looked shocked at my sudden outburst. Then Two-Bit cracked a smile and started to laugh. Everyone else, including me and Dally soon joined.

"You got spunk, kid", Dally said, "Oh, and if you want to fight me…Well I wouldn't suggest it".

"I don't like to fight unless it's self defense, so I wouldn't fight you unless you pulled a stunt like _that_ again", I retorted.

"Well", Sodapop started, trying to break the tension, "Who's ready to eat?"

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	4. Chapter 4

All the boys stampeded into the kitchen except for Pony who stayed behind to talk to me.

"First of all, that was amazing", Ponyboy praised me while grinning, "I've never seen anyone talk to Dally that way. Ever. Second of all, are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seemed really uncomfortable."

"I'll be fine, "I assured him.

"Why don't you sit between Soda and I during dinner? That way we can avoid more conflict and besides, we seem to be the ones you get along best with here so far."

"Okay", I said as we walked to the table. All the boys had sat down and were waiting on Pony and I so they could finally eat. When we sat down they dug in. Dinner was chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I don''t like vegetables so I smothered the green beans in the mashed potatoes.

"So, Lily, tell us about your family", Darry said from across the table.

"Well, I have two younger siblings. They're twins. Ten years old. And my mom and dad."

"Are you sure you're from this side of town?", Soda asked with his mouth full.

"Chew with your mouth closed, Soda", Darry and I chastised him simultaneously.

That made everyone laugh.

"But seriously", Sodapop said again, "Are you sure you're from the Greaser side of town?"

"Yeah. Why?", I questioned.

"Ya just seem too well mannered and…", Soda said trying to think of a description, "Non-Greaser-like."

"Well, aren't you eloquent", I joked, smirking, "I've just never really found any appeal to drinking or smoking and that kind of stuff. Besides I've seen what alcohol can do to a person."

Soda's eyes widened, "Do your parents… you know…"

I quickly shook my head, "No! I have friends that have alcoholic parents. I'm lucky enough to have parents that love me. Those are rare to find in these parts."

Everyone seemed to visibly relax at that.

"Who's ready for cake!", Two-Bit exclaimed.

A chocolate cake was taken out of the ice box. Darry cut everyone, including me a slice. I bit into mine.

"This is so good! Who made it?", I asked.

"Darry", Pony said. He was talking while chewing, but had his hand in front of his mouth so it wasn't disgusting.

Darry was one of the last people I would have expected to make the cake. I suddenly pictured him in a "kiss the cook" apron and started hysterically laughing.

"What is it, Lily?", Ponyboy asked, obviously amused at my outburst. I told him which made him start laughing. Then he told everyone else which made everyone, even Dally, start laughing. Soon enough the kitchen was roaring with laughter. I wiped the tears from my eyes when it had calmed down.

"Hey, Lily", Ponyboy said turning to me with a giant smile still on his face, "You wanna go outside and watch the sunset with me before we go to the movie?"

"Of course!", I exclaimed, "I love sunsets!"

That seemed to be exactly what Pony wanted hear. He took my hand, not looping our arms together as we had been doing earlier, which made me blush. My face felt hot as we walked from the kitchen to the back steps. Pony opened the door for me. Considering what most boys our age were like, I was surprised at how gentlemanly and chivalrous Ponyboy was.

"Why do you always open doors and stuff like that for me?", I asked without thinking. "I'm not complaining", I quickly added, "I was just wondering".

We sat down on the steps as Pony turned to me with a smile some playing on his features, "Mom and Dad engrained into our heads form an early age to be respectful to women."

"Your parents were smart people", I told him, "You definitely got that from them. Soda and Darry did too. Which one do you look more like?"

"Surprisingly neither, really", he answered. "Soda looks like Mom, but with Dad's eyes. Darry looks like Dad, but with his own eyes. I guess I'm just that special", he smirked at the last sentence he said.

"It doesn't matter", I said, matter-of-factly, "You're handsome either way. Just in different ways than your brothers."

Pony blushed, his ears turning red, "You really think so?", he questioned me.

"Yeah", I said blushing, "Your lucky you got some nice genetics. Mine don't look too good." To me, that was true. I hated my eye color, it looked to dark and sad. My hair color wasn't anything special. I had acne that I hated and made me want to constantly cover up my face. I wasn't as skinny as I wanted to be. My nose was too big and my eyes were too small. I couldn't even laugh or smile without it looking like my eyes were closed.

"That ain't true", Pony shouted, "You're beautiful and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

"Really?", I asked him doubtfully, tears coming to my eyes, "Do ya really think that?"

"Of course!", he cried, "Who ever told you that you weren't?"

"Can we talk about something else?", I begged, "And besides, the sun is starting to set". The sun had started to get close to the horizon, turning the sky a beautiful mixture of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples. I looked over at Ponyboy who had been staring at me. The colors of the setting sun illuminated his face and made his green eyes pop.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. Happy birthday".

Ponyboy took a small box out of his pocket.

"Pony, you didn't have to get me anything! You don't need to spend any money on me!"

"But I wanted to. Besides, how many times do you turn 14? And don't worry it's not a diamond or anything expensive like that. I definitely don't have that kind of money. I think the stone is called cubic zirconia or somethin' ".

"Thank you", I said as he opened the box. It was an elegant, thin silver necklace with a small stone pendant. It was simple, just like I liked my jewelry to be.

"Here", Pony said, taking the necklace out of the box, "Lift up your hair and face the other way".

I did as he said as he fastened the necklace around my neck. I dropped my hair so it flowed down my back again.

"Really, Pony", I said to him, "Thank you so much". I pulled him into a tight hug, putting my arms around his neck. He seemed surprised for a few seconds then hugged me back, wrapping his hands around my waist. When we pulled back he was looking at me very intensely. Then he quickly leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Lily", Ponyboy started, his face flushing and him looking kind of nervous as he took my hand in his, "I wanted to ask you a question".

"Shoot", I told him.

He took a deep, shaky breath, "I was wondering if maybe…I don't know…if you…"

"Pony", I laughed, "Just spit it out already".

He took another deep breath, "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to be my gal".

I smiled widely at him, "I would love to be your girlfriend, Pony".

"Really?", Pony asked in disbelief.

"Yes, of course", I reconfirmed with a laugh.

I had never seen Ponyboy smile this wide before. He leaned in closer to me, moving one of his hands to my waist and the other to my cheek. Then he leaned in even closer, closing the distance between us. He kissed me softly and sweetly. We weren't making out. It was innocent. Pony was kissing me romantically and gently, our lips not moving much, but moving in sync. One of my hands was on his shoulder while the other was cupping his face. After about 20 to 30 seconds, we pulled apart, touching our foreheads together.

"That was my first kiss", Ponyboy admitted, a small grin ghosting is face.

"That was mine too", I told him, "How'd you get so good if you've never done it before?"

"I don't know", Pony responded chuckling lightly, "Just natural talent, I suppose".

Everything was perfect in this moment. Pony and I were together and had both just had our first kiss. The sunset cast a warm glow on us, making everything more romantic. As we watched the end of the sunset, we held hands and I leaned my head on his shoulder. I couldn't remember the last time I was that happy or content. And to think, we hadn't even finished our night together.

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. Get ready for a nice long story! I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 5**

The sun had just finished its show when Sodapop called through the back door, "What're y'all doin' out there?"

Pony and I were still sitting on the steps with his arm around my shoulders and my head leaning on his shoulder.

"So you finally popped the question, huh?", Soda asked Pony with a mischievous grin on his face.

"How long've you been waiting to ask me to be your girl?", I asked Pony, laughing.

"Longer than you know, darlin'", Pony responded.

I smiled at his use of the pet name on me and kissed his cheek. Pony blushed.

"Is it okay that I call you that, Lily?"

"I love it. It's cute, hon", I told him using a pet name on him which made him smirk.

"Okay, you two lovebirds need to get inside so you can leave. Y'all don't wanna be late for the movie", Soda ordered jokingly.

Pony and I walked into the house, with his arm around my waist. Needless to say, all the boys noticed and started whooping congratulations, cheering, and teasing us.

"Pony and Lily sittin' in a tree", Two-Bit and Soda singsonged, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then come babies in a baby carriage!"

I dug my head into Pony's neck and blushed profusely. Pony and I were laughing, though.

"C'mon, guys", Ponyboy whined, "I just got her to be my gal. I don't wanna scare her away already."

I had an idea. "Pony, turn towards me", I whispered.

He did as he was told and when he did, I stood up on my tip-toes and kissed him in front of all the boys which really got them riled up. I had known that Pony was taller than me, but I hadn't realized just how tall until now. He was probably about 4 inches taller than me which meant that he was about 5'7 to my 5'3. When I kissed him, his eyes got wide for a second, then he kissed back. After about 10 seconds, we broke apart.

"Let's go", I said, feeling my face get hot. Both of us had stupid, dreamy grins on our faces as we walked out the door. Pony shrugged his denim jacket back on as we were walking and put an arm around my shoulders, holding me tightly to him.

"You know I'm not gonna run away, don't ya", I laughed while fingering my new necklace.

"I know", he assured me with a smile, "I'm just so happy. I didn't actually think you'd say yes to me".

By that point we had gotten to the movie theater. We had debated seeing a movie at the drive-in, but decided against it because it would be much more busy there than at the actual theater. Pony payed for our tickets (much to my dismay considering the the money he'd spent on the present he had bought me) and walked in.

When we sat down, couples were already making out before the movie had even started. Pony and I actually wanted to _watch_ the movie, regardless of us now dating. During the movie (we decided on _Gone with the Wind_ ) we held hands and ate popcorn. Ponyboy rubbed his thumb across my knuckles occasionally which wasn't distracting as much as it was soothing.

By the time we got out it was 9:30, so we started to walk to my house.

"I didn't expect it to be this cold", I muttered, rubbing my arms. I had a sweater on, but was still cold. More chilly than freezing, though which was good.

"Here, Lily", Ponyboy said, taking off his jacket, "Put this on".

"Pony, you don't have to give me your jacket", I told him.

"But I want to and besides, we're just walking to your house. You can give it back to me when we get there".

"Okay", I said, "If you insist".

Ponyboy handed me the jacket and I slipped my arms in. It was a little big, but I didn't care, it was warm. It smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and cologne.

After about 10 more minutes of walking, we arrived at my house.

"I almost forgot", I said as we walked up my walkway, "Here's your jacket". I took it off and handed it back to Ponyboy, instantly missing the warmth.

"Thank you, my dear", he said slipping it back on. I was now on the first step of my porch, so I was the same height as Pony. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he put his around my waist. Then I leaned in and gave him a kiss. It didn't last as long as our others because we didn't want to be caught by my parents. I wasn't worried about the twins at the moment because I knew they were already in bed. Pony had to get home soon anyway or else Darry wouldn't be happy.

"I'll see you on Monday, darlin'. Have a good birthday", Pony called as he walked away.  
"Yep, see you on Monday, hon!", I called back before opening the door.

My dad was sitting on the couch, watching the small television. When I walked through the door he sat up and looked at me.

"5 minutes early", he mused, "This kid is responsible, I'll give him that. So how was it?"

"It was fun", I said. I still had a goofy smile on my face from the kiss. "I met his brothers and their friends, we had dinner, then we went and saw _Gone with the Wind_ at the theater."

Dad's eyes widened for a second, "Why were his brothers there? Where were his parents?" I could tell he was concerned. _Dammit_ , I thought, mentally scolding myself, _I forgot to tell him about Pony's parents._

"Dad", I started solemnly, "Ponyboy's parents died 8 months ago in a car accident. He lives with his brothers. The oldest, Darry, has custody of him and his other brother, Sodapop".

Dad's expression softened, "How old are his brothers?"

"Darry's 20. Soda's almost 17. Darry was gonna go to collage, but gave it up to keep his brothers. Soda had to drop out of school to get a job and to help keep ends meet."

"That's terrible", he said, "I admire his brothers, especially Darry, for doin' that. What's that?"

"What's what?", I asked cautiously.

"That necklace", he said pointing to it, "You weren't wearin' that when you left".

"Pony gave it to me as a birthday gift", I explained, "Why?"

That's when Mom walked into the living room, "What's going on in here"?

"Lily's boyfriend gave her a necklace as a birthday gift", Dad explained.

I felt my face get very hot, but didn't say anything.

"Aren't you supposed to argue that he's not your boyfriend at this point?", Dad asked, "That's what you'd usually do".

"Well…", I trailed off, "About that…"

"Lily", my mom pressed, "What'd you do?"

"WellPonyandIaredatingnowpleasedontbemad", I said quickly.

"What?", both of my parents said at the same time.

"Honey, you need to talk slower", my dad advised, "We didn't understand a word you just said".

I took a deep breath and repeated myself slower ,"Pony and I are dating".

Both my parents' eyes got huge, "What?!"

I flinched, "I am Ponyboy's girlfriend and he is my boyfriend".

"Lily!", Mom exclaimed, "You know you're not allowed to date until you're older! You're only 13!."

"I'll be 14 on Sunday", I yelled, "And Pony is 14 too! We just got together today!"

"What if he takes advantage of you!", my dad argued.

"I told you before I even left", I retorted, "And I'll repeat it again. He. Is. A. Gentleman. He treats me with respect. He is kind and chivalrous. He opens doors for me. He let me wear his jacket earlier because I was cold, for crying out loud!"

"That doesn't mean anything! He could just be luring you in. Teenage boys only want one thing, Lily, and you know what that thing is".

"We aren't going to do anything! I know Ponyboy! He would never do anything like that! If you just met him. I saw you threaten him before we left, Dad. He was scared of you. You didn't see the real him. If you did, you'd understand that all we both want is an innocent relationship. Is that too much to ask?!", I screamed at him. At this point I did't even care if the argument had woken the Anna and Henry up. I stormed up the stairs to my room.

"Where do you think you're going?! Lily Grace Smith, you get back down here right now!"

"Well consider this my gift then", I yelled, my throat burning and tears streaming down my face, "Happy freaking birthday to me!"

I stomped into my room and slammed the door closed. Then I threw myself onto my bed and sobbed. I grabbed a pillow and hurled it at hard as I could at the wall across the room with a loud, frustrated grunt.

There was a knock at my door, "Who is it", I asked passive aggressively.

"Mom", I heard through the door.

"Come in. As long as Dad isn't with you".

She walked into my room, closed the door and sat down next to me on my bed.

"Peanut", she said using her old nickname for me, "Dad is just trying to protect you. He doesn't want you to get hurt and neither do I."

"I get it", I said, snot and tears dripping down my face (it's never pretty when I cry), "I get that y'all wanna protect me from getting hurt, but Pony would never do that. We're not gonna do anything. We both just had our first kiss today."

"You kissed?", she asked inquisitively.

"Yes", I admitted, "We were sitting on the back steps of his house after dinner and watching the sunset. He gave me the necklace", I had started fingering the necklace again without noticing, "Then he asked me to be his girlfriend, I said yes, and we kissed".

Mom gave me a small smile at that, "He sounds romantic. I can tell that you like him a lot. You really like him, don't you?"

"Yes. I really like him and he really likes me. We make each other happy. You should've seen his face when I agreed to be his gal", I laughed lightly, "His face looked like it could've broken in two, he was smiling so big. You'd think he'd just won the lottery."

"Did y'all do anything else but kissing?"

"We held hands, but that's it. We just kissed a few times and held hands."

"Well, y'all didn't do anything and I won't lie; I like him already. I can tell from your face that he makes you very happy and from what you're telling me, you make him just as happy, maybe even more. Dad doesn't like this but I'll tell him about our conversation and try to convince him that you and Pony can be together, but I'm not makin' any promises."

"Thank you so much, Mom", I said, giving her a bone-crushing hug, "Tell Dad that even though I'm not happy with him, I love him too. I'm gonna go to bed."

"Alright", Mom smiled, kissing my cheek, "Goodnight. I love you too". With that, she walked out of the door and went to talk to Dad.

I slipped on my pajamas, brushed out my hair, brushed my teeth, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. Get ready for a nice long story! I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 6**

My dream was Pony and I's walk home on the first day of school. Down south, school starts in early August (don't ask me why because I have no idea) so it was still hot. We exited the school building and started our route back to the East side.

We walked in a comfortable silence for about 5 minutes until Ponyboy spoke.

"What do you like to do?"

"Well, what do you like to do?", I asked back.

"I asked first", he retorted, smirking.

"Fine", I said giving an exaggerated pout. "I'll go first. I love to read and write. It makes me so happy."

"What's your favorite book?"

" _Little Women_ ", I responded, "I've read it probably about 5 times. What about you?"

" _Gone with the Wind_ is my favorite. What else do you like to do?"

"I dance. I love it".

"You dance?", Pony asked, unsuccessfully cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah", I said, "Been doin' it since I was 2. I mainly do ballet, but I'm gettin' to ballroom."

"And you're how old?"

"14 next month. Why?"

"You've been dancing for _12 years_?"

"Yeah. I met my best friend there, actually. When you love something like I love dance, you never wanna stop, if that makes sense."

I looked over to see Pony staring at me, "Would you like something?"

He quickly snapped out of his daze, "When you talk about somethin' you're passionate about, you can see it in your eyes. They light up. You'll have to give me dance lessons one day. I'm not the best dancer."

"It's actually the only sport I'm good at. I'm really clumsy and get scared when balls get thrown at me", I admitted, starting to chuckle.

Pony stared to laugh too, "I only do track. I'm pretty good".

"I can run too. I'm pretty good at sprints."

"You wanna race?", Pony asked with a grin on his face.

"Ponyboy Curtis are you challenging me?"

"You bet I am".

"Yeah, let's do it", I retaliated, dropping my backpack.

"Are you sure?", Pony asked hesitantly, "You're in a dress, ya know".

"I'm perfectly aware of my apparel. It's nothin' I haven't done before. Now if I were wearin' heels; that would be another story. Luckily I'm wearing Converse, today."

Pony dropped his backpack on the sidewalk next to mine and crouched next to me while stayed standing. "Aren't you gonna get down?"

"I'm better if I start off standing and as you pointed out, I _am_ in a dress".

"If you say so. To the lamppost?"

"Sounds good". The lamppost was about 250 yards away.

"On your marks", I announced, "Get set. Go!"

I quickly sprinted down the sidewalk, not caring if I was wearing a dress or not. Frankly, I couldn't care less. And surprisingly it's not like my mom made me wear it. I was naturally a girly-girl, but I could climb a tree or run just as well in a dress as I could in pants.

I could hear Ponyboy's feet hitting the gravel not far behind me and sped up just a little. I kept running until my hand was on the lamppost.

I was bend over at the waist, my hand firmly on the pole and wheezing. Pony got there maybe 2 or 3 seconds after me and started breathing heavily too.

"Wow", he said in between breaths, "You. *wheeze* Are. *wheeze* Fast".

"Why, thank you", I said, finally standing up straight and smoothing out the skirt of my dress, "You weren't too bad yourself". Strands of hair were coming out of my braid and the starter sections of hair near my ears were sticking to my neck. "Let's grab our backpacks and keep walking."

As I turned to Pony I had to suppress a giggle. His hair which had been carefully slicked back, now had flyaways everywhere. At his hairline, behind his ears, etc. His eyes were sparkling as he smiled. I guess that's what he meant when I was talking about dance. His face was beet red and I knew that mine was too.

As we kept waking he asked, "What else do you like?"

"I love music".

"Really? What kind?"

"I like Elvis".

"I like him too", he grinned. "What's your favorite by him?"

"I like 'Can't Help Falling in Love' and 'Jailhouse Rock'."

"My favorite is 'Love Me Tender'."

I smiled, "I like that one too. It's sweet."

"Anything else you like to do?"

"I love watching the sky", I told him, "The moon, stars, sunsets… Things like that".

"Me too. I sit on my back steps and watch the sunset whenever I can."

"I see it better from my driveway. You know somethin', Pony?"

"What?", Pony boy asked, turning to me.

"You aren't the typical Greaser. And you're definitely not the typical Greaser boy."

"Thank you?", he said, more as a question than an answer.

"It's a compliment. You're unique and you don't try to be super tough like the other boys".

"Are you sayin' I ain't tough?", he asked skeptically, even though I knew he was joking.

"No, you're probably very tough. You are tuff, though. I'll tell ya that right now."

"Thanks, Lily", Pony said, linking our arms together as we continued our walk.

That's when I woke up.

It took me a bit to realize that I wasn't walking home with Ponyboy, but in my bed in my pajamas. I grinned widely when I remembered yesterday. I'd had a crush on Pony since the first or second week of school, but didn't say anything to him.

Then I frowned, remembering the fight last night. That was bad. Very bad. I don't like conflict and try to avoid it as much as possible, but last night I just couldn't do it. I love my dad so much, but when he started accusing Ponyboy of only wanting "one thing", I wasn't gonna take that sitting down.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the memory before getting up and heading downstairs. Dad was on the couch, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper while Mom was sitting next to Anna and Henry, all of them eating breakfast. Mom didn't really like to cook breakfast, so in the mornings you usually had to fend for yourselves. The only times she made breakfast were on one of our (the kids') birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and occasionally on Easter.

I grabbed the cereal, milk, and a bowl and quickly ate. Then I scooted my chair closer to Mom.

"What'd he say?", I asked, talking about her talking to Dad about me dating Ponyboy.

"I think you should go ask him yourself", she said,not to be mean, but so I could hear it straight from the source.

I slowly made my way to the couch, sitting down and crossing my legs under myself.

"Your mother talked with me last night", he said without even looking up from the paper.

"And…", I trailed off, "What was the consensus?"

He looked up at me, putting his cup and paper on the coffee table, "We decided that y'all can date."

A smile etched itself on my face, "Really?"

He started to smile as well, "We… Well I have to be more aware that you're getting older and starting to make your own decisions. From what Mom told me, your boyfriend…Ponyboy was it?" I nodded "Ponyboy seems like a nice young man and you really like each other don't you?"

I nodded again, still smiling, "I've never seen him happier than when I said I'd be his girlfriend".

"Mom told me that y'all kissed."

"That is correct".

"Did you do anything else?"

"We only kissed, hugged, and held hands. That's it."

"I have some rules", he told me sternly.

I nodded rapidly.

"First and foremost", he started, "Nothing farther than kissing. Do you understand me?"

"Of course. We weren't going to go that far. We're only 14 and we just got together yesterday."

"Alright then, now that that's cleared up, a second thing. I want to meet him."

"Okayyy…", I said cautiously.

"You said last night that I hadn't met the real him. That I went straight to threatening him. I want to meet him and at some point his family. I want to meet the real him, but if I don't like the real him then y'all are off."

"But-", I said and was cut off by him holding up his hand in an "I'm not done" gesture.

"In my mind, no boy is ever going to be good enough for you, but if this boy is as respectable as you say and treats you right, then y'all have my blessing. Does that make you feel better?"

"You wouldn't believe how good it is to hear you say that, Dad". I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I jumped into his arms, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He grunted upon impact then laughed, "Your welcome, honey. Now go read or something".

"Okay!" I went upstairs, grabbed a book and started to read, but couldn't focus on the words. My mind kept drifting off. It was then that I realized that it was 8 am, so went back to sleep for a couple hours with a smile still on my face.

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors etc and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 7**

My birthday went by fairly uneventfully. Except for when Henry and Anna decided that it would be fun to hide the candles fore the cake and sent Mom on a wild goose chase trying to find them.

Monday rolled around and as always, Ponyboy was at my doorstep waiting for me. I put my hair in a large bun at the back of my head (I had learned how to do them because of dance) and wore a black skirt that went down to my knees, a blue button-up sweater with a white camisole underneath, and my grey Converse. I quickly put mascara on my eyelashes, trying not to poke out my eyes in the process.

I grabbed my backpack and lunch, said my "I love you"s to my family, and hurried out the door.

"Hey there, darlin'", Pony greeted, pulling me closer to him and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Hi, hun", I responded, leaning up and kissing his cheek, "How was your weekend?"

"It was good, but your's must've been more exciting", he answered with a smile, "My birthday girl. We're finally the same age, now!"

I laughed, "Actually nothing much happened regarding my birthday."

He tried cocking an eyebrow, "Did something happen not regarding your birthday?"

"Yes", I said, suddenly hesitant to tell him about the argument.

"Well, what happened?"

"My parents now know that we're dating", I saw Ponyboy's eyes widen, "My dad and I got into an argument over it. He was scared that you were only after 'one thing'", I told him using air quotes, "There was lots of yelling and afterwards, my mom came into my room and talked to me. I told her about you and I and how happy we make each other and she said that she would talk to Dad and try convincing him that we can date. He agreed, but there are rules."

Ponyboy had smiled when I told him that Dad agreed, but his face went serious again when I told him that there were rules.

"First of all", I started, "We are not allowed to do 'things'", at that I started blushing and so did Pony, his ears going red and a flush falling over his cheeks.

"Of course", he agreed.

"Second", I said, taking a deep breath, "He wants to meet you".

Ponyboy's eyes got wide again, "He does? Why? When?"

"I have no idea, but we're almost at school, so can we talk about somethin' else?"

" 'Course, darlin' ", he agreed, leaning down and kissing my temple, "You wanna come and eat lunch with me, Two-Bit and Johnny today?"

"Sure, sounds like fun."

By that time we were at school and I saw Two-Bit and Johnny leaning up against the building.

"Hey Johnnycakes. Hey Two-Bit", Pony greeted them, his arm still around me.

"Hiya, lovebirds", Two-Bit said, grinning. Then he turned to me, "I heard your birthday was yesterday."

"Yeah, it was. How'd ya know?"

"Pony told us", he said, staring at Ponyboy and cracking another smile, "He wouldn't shut up about you."

Pony started to blush.

"Awwe, Pony, you're so sweet", I said, standing on tip-toe to kiss his cheek.

"Well, happy late birthday, Lily", Two-Bit said.

"Yeah, happy birthday", Johnny piped up quietly, "How old are you now, again?"

"14", I told him with a smile. The poor thing looked uncomfortable and jumpy. His black bangs were nearly covering his eyes which nervously darted occasionally. There was a long scar down his cheek along with lots of bruises on his face. I'd have to ask Pony about him later. He was really timid, but seemed very sweet.

"Well, Pony", Two-Bit laughed, "Looks like you're the oldest in the relationship".

"What does that have to do with anything?", I asked.

"I'm the baby of the gang", Ponyboy told me, "It's weird for them for me to be oldest in anything."

"When's Johnny here gonna get a gal?", Two-Bit asked, lightly elbowing Johnny in the arm and cocking an eyebrow. _So that's where Pony learned it from_ , I thought and smiled to myself considering he couldn't do it and I could.

"Why're ya smirkin', doll?", Two-Bit asked me.

"Because Ponyboy keeps unsuccessfully trying to cock an eyebrow", I started, smiling up at Pony, "And now I know where it's comin' from. I think it's funny that I can do it and he can't."

"Really, now?", Two-Bit joked. Even Johnny was letting out a small smile.

"Lemme see", Two-Bit demanded to Pony.

Pony tried and yet again failed at cocking his eyebrow.

"Now you", Two-Bit said, gesturing to me. I complied and successfully cocked my eyebrow.

"She's right", Two-Bit exclaimed, "You're terrible at that, Pone".

"It's alright", I jokingly comforted Pony, "I still like you, even if you can't cock an eyebrow", I stood up on tip-toe again, but pecked his lips this time.

"Get a room, you two", Two-Bit cried, covering Johnny's eyes, "There is an innocent child here".

"Oh, shut up, Keith", Pony laughed, prying Two-Bit's hands away from Johnny's face, using the hand he had open, "Johnny's older than I am".

"He is?", I asked.

"Yeah", Johnny muttered, "I'm 16. I know I look younger."

"No", I exclaimed, "I just met y'all so I only know Pony, Soda, and Darry's ages. I just didn't know you were 16", Then I turned my attention to Two-Bit, "Your name is really Keith?"

"Yes, but I don't like it, so let's not refer to me as that, alright?"

"We should probably get to class", I said to Pony, "The bell is gonna ring soon."

"Okay, Lily. We'll see y'all at lunch", Pony said, turning to call out the last sentence to Johnny and Two-Bit since we were already almost at the door.

When we got in, I quickly kissed Pony before saying, "See you in English".

"See you then, darlin'", he responded before taking off to his locker.

The first 2 periods were very boring. I had math and science. When I finally got to English 3rd period, I was so happy to be there, especially with Pony there too. I sat down next to him with a grunt.

"Tough first 2 periods?", he asked with a smirk.

"You wouldn't believe", I muttered, taking his hand under the desk.

Mr. Syme then came in and we did the lesson. We were reading this Robert Frost poem. "Now", he asked, "Who would like to read the poem aloud to the class? How about you Miss Smith?"

"Alright", I answered nervously, giving Pony's hand a quick squeeze before reading from our textbook.

"Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold, Her early leaf's a flower, But only so an hour, Then leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day, Nothing gold can stay".

"Wonderful job, Lily", Mr. Syme praised before returning back to his lesson.

"You did great, darlin'", Pony complimented, "Your voice is even prettier when you read aloud."

"Thank you, hun", I whispered, blushing, as he ran his thumb over my knuckles like he had at the movie theater. Between 3rd and 4th periods was lunch, so Pony took my hand and led me to where the boys were. They were where they had been when we arrived, both smoking cigarettes.

"You want one, Pone?", Two-Bit asked, holding one out to him. Pony looked at me for permission because he knew I didn't smoke and I nodded. He had been refraining from smoking around me since we met since he knew I didn't like it very much and this would be the first time I had ever seen him smoke. From what he told me, he smokes about a pack a day which couldn't have been good for his health.

He took the cigarette from Two-Bit, flipped open his lighter, and put the cigarette in his mouth. He took a drag from it and breathed out the smoke.

"You want one, doll?", Two-Bit asked me, breaking my train of thought.

"No thanks", I told him, "I don't smoke".

"Well, have you ever tried?", he asked, smirking and once again cocking an eyebrow.

"Well… No I haven't", I said trying to see where he was going with this.

"Try one then", Two-Bit said mischievously, "There's a first time for everything".

I looked at Johnny who blew a perfect smoke ring and then at Ponyboy who was simply jus taking drags from his cigarette.

"Do you think I should, Pony?", I asked.

"It's your choice, darlin'", he said, momentarily taking the weed ( **A/N** **Remember weed is** **slang for cigarette** ) from his mouth, "I'm not gonna make you do anything you don't wanna do."

I had to give him a peck on the cheek for that since it was so sweet of a thing for him to say. It was a nice change, a boy who doesn't _make_ his girl do anything. I had heard about boys who made their girlfriends do things and had always hated those boys for that.

"Sure. Why not? Can I just use your's, Pony so we don't have to light a whole new one?"

Pony carefully handed me the cigarette so I wouldn't get burned with it. I took it, looked at it skeptically, then put it to my mouth. I put it between my lips and breathed in. And then immediately took it out and started coughing into my elbow. My eyes started to water heavily.

Pony rushed over, took the cigarette from me, and rubbed my back while I coughed.

"Let's not do that again any time soon, alright darlin'?", he told me, still rubbing and patting my back.

At this point the heavy coughing had stopped and there was just me constantly clearing my throat, "Good idea, hun", I said.

"Yeah", Two-Bit said, chuckling, "It doesn't really seem like smoking is for you."

Johnny had a kind of look of empathy on his face. He'd probably donate same thing the first time he smoked.

"Can we just go have lunch now", I asked, mainly to Ponyboy, "I'm hungry and I need to wash the taste of the smoke out of my mouth."

Pony pulled me close to him as we walked, occasionally leaning his head down to kiss my temple. After a few minutes, we got to the Dingo. Luckily there wasn't a fight going on (yet).

Ponyboy and I each got a cheeseburger and shared a Pepsi while Two-Bit got the largest meal on the menu ("I'm a growing boy" was his excuse) and Johnny simply got some fries that he nibbled on.

Two-Bit told some stories that were funny, but made the rest of our faces go red.

"So Two-Bit", I interrupted him before he could go on talking about any more of his blondes, "What's your family like?" As I've mentioned before, Greasers don't usually have the best family lives, so they usually refrain from talking about them. I was simply curious about Two-Bit's family.

"Well, I have my mom and my kid sister", he replied.

"And your dad?", I asked carefully.

"He walked out on us years ago. My mom has to work a lot to support Lizzie and I."

"I'm sorry to hear that", I said solemnly, "My best friend's family is the same except she's an only child. Her mom is great though."

He smiled at that, not the cocky smile, but a real friendly one.

"I asked Johnny his age earlier. What's your's?"

"18 1/2", he said his cocky grin back, as if he could see the gears turning in my head.

"And you're a junior?"

"Yup"

"How long have you been a junior, exactly?", I asked smirking. Now it was my turn to give him a cocked eyebrow.

"Actually, I've lost count. How long've I been a junior, Pone?"

"2 years, Keith. 2 long, long years", Pony answered over-dramatically, dropping his head onto my shoulder with a sigh. Two-Bit and even Johnny laughed at that.

I laughed at him and used the hand of the shoulder he was leaning on to pat his cheek lovingly.

"It'll be okay, hun. You'll live."

"I know it'll be okay since you'll be there", he said, pecking my cheek before taking his bodyweight off me and taking a sip of our Pepsi.

Two-Bit rolled his eyes, muttering, "Could they get any more cutesy?", under his breath.

"Have you really been a junior for 2 years?"

"Yep. I guess I have. According to Pony, at least", he confirmed with a grin.

"What about you Johnny?", I asked, turning my attention to him, "What's your family like?"

From the boys' facial expressions, I could tell Johnny's home life was not spoken of very much and was a sore subject. I felt like I was walking on a field of land mines, but didn't know where they were, so I had to tread cautiously, just waiting for one to blow.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to go into uncharted territory", I apologized, suddenly becoming very interested in my burger. My other hand had started to play with the necklace Pony had given me. I had worn it everyday since he gave to me.

"It's alright, Lily", Johnny said quietly. I had noticed that he was one of the only boys that hadn't given me a nickname (Pony obviously had free reign on nicknames for me, considering he _was_ my boyfriend).

"You didn't know and since you're Pony's gal, you'll be hanging out with us a lot more, so you have a right to know". That was the longest sentence I had ever heard Johnny say.

"Are you sure?", Two-Bit asked, then turned to me, "No offense, doll. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that it's real bad and personal stuff for Johnny. Ya dig?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure I wanna tell 'er", Johnny confirmed, "She'll hear about it anyway, so why not straight from the source."

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors etc and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Chapter 8**

"Ever since I can remember", Johnny started, "My parents have beaten me".

I put my burger down and put my hand over my mouth in sadness. Ponyboy pulled me close and held my other hand as Johnny continued talking.

"My dad and mom fight all the time and even if I don't get involved they'll find something 'wrong' that I've done. They're abusive. My mom verbally and my dad hits me. For some reason, I hate it more when my mom's screamin' at me than when my dad hits me. One time he even got me with a 2-by-4", at this point Johnny and I were both near tears and Two-Bit and Pony both had solemn looks on their faces, "Frankly, I like it better when they do beat me. At least then, I know that they know I'm there. Sometimes I just wanna kill myself. No one would care."

By this point, tears were falling. My cheeks were wet and my tears were dripping onto my clothes and Pony's shoulder which I had buried my head into about half-way through. Johnny had silent tears rolling down his face. I carefully removed myself from Ponyboy's arms, him letting me go. I walked over to Johnny, pulled him out of his chair, and gave him the biggest hug I could, squeezing him with all my strength. He was about Pony's height, so I had to stand on tip-toe to bury my head into his neck like I had with Ponyboy. He seemed surprised at first and stiffened at the physical contact, but then hugged me back.

"I'm so sorry", I sobbed. Not even Pony had ever seen me cry, so when I did, he looked surprised.

"Johnny please don't kill yourself. The gang needs you, even if your parents don't. I know we've only met a few times, but I already consider you a friend and even knowing you for such a short time, I would be crushed if you died. I can't even begin to imagine how the gang would react them knowing you as long as they have. No one should ever feel like no one would care if they died. It's just not right."

I didn't care if my mascara was ruined. I didn't care if I looked like a mess. All I cared about in that moment was that Johnny knew he was loved and cared about, even if it wasn't romantically. I pulled my head off his shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Lily", Johnny said. I could tell that he meant it.

I got myself flat on my feet again and sat back down next to Pony. He was smiling softly at me.

"What?", I asked, wiping my cheeks with my sleeve.

"I don't know. I guess it's just nice seeing you letting Johnny know that there are people that love him."

"Considering what other girls say their boyfriends do when they kiss another boy, even on the cheek, I'm surprised you're not acting jealous."

"I don't have any reason to be jealous, darlin'", he told me. Now he was wiping under my eyes with his thumbs.

"I know you love him as a friend and it's nice to know that you and the gang are getting along so well since you met them less than a week ago. It just makes me happy."

And with that Ponyboy kissed me gently, his hands cupping my face.

We quickly threw our leftovers away and started walking back to school. I didn't really feel like going back and I was drained out from crying, but the day was almost over. I had dance tonight too which meant that I couldn't really rest after school.

When I did dance before the twins were born, my parents had just enough spare money to pay for the lessons. But since the twins were born when I was about 4, I saved up my own money. I saved up money from yard work that I did for neighbors and from when I got money for the holidays. I didn't usually ask for actual gifts from relatives, just money for dance. And right after the recital in June, I immediately started the process of saving money again.

The rest of the school day went alright. When I got home I quickly got my dance things on, redid my bun, said an "I'll see y'all in an hour and a half", and left.

Luckily, my dance studio was close to the border between Greaser and Soc territories, so I didn't have to walk a long way. And the shorter the walk, the less of a chance there was of getting jumped by Socs. I had only started walking to dance alone a couple years ago, so I haven't been jumped before. But every Greaser is jumped at some point, so I was always cautious when walking, always looking around for any signs of Mustangs or Corvairs.

I walked in, said a quick greeting to the lady who was always at the front desk, and sat down the back room where the dancers put their things. We also changed back there. After years of changing in front of people, you kind of get used to the idea of no modesty. Besides, no boys were ever allowed back there, so you would ever only change in front of your own gender.

I sat on the small couch that was there, changed into my ballet shoes and ballet skirt, and waited on Ashlynn to get there. I was always early to dance and she always came later than me.

When she finally arrived, she immediately bombarded me with questions.

"How was your date on Friday? Did anything happen? What are his friends like? What's his family like?"

I laughed at her enthusiasm and answered, "The date went wonderfully. Ponyboy and I are now dating. We kissed after he gave me this", I gestured to the necklace, "His friends are great. I think I'm already an honorary member of the gang. His brothers are nice too."

I had already told her about the Curtis parents, so she didn't ask where they were like my dad had done.

"YOU KISSED?!", Ashlynn practically screamed.

"Yes we did, but I don't think the population of China needs to know that", I scolded her jokingly.

"Sorry, Lil", she said with a smirk. Very few people were allowed to call me that. I could probably count the total number on one hand.

"Was it good" Ash asked with yet another smirk playing on her features. Lots of people called her "Ash" as apposed to me and "Lil".

"It was both of our's first kiss, so neither of us really had anything to compare it to, but I personally thought it was amazing." Ashlynn had had boyfriends and kisses before. She just started early, I guess. She was a few months older than me, so I suppose that explained a little of it. She was still in 8th grade, so I was in the grade ahead of her, plus she had been held back a year when we were in kindergarten (it's confusing, I know), so she could've been in my grade. Frankly I'm surprised she wasn't put up a year with me since she's on honor roll now, but I guess being held back when we were little tarnished her record or something.

"Were either of his brothers cute?", she asked while getting her own ballet things on.

"To me, Pony is the cutest, but that's probably biased since he's my boyfriend. One of his older brothers is Sodapop Curtis. He works at the DX. Maybe you've heard of him. All the other girls in Tulsa seem to have,"

"Sodapop Curtis is his brother?!", she exclaimed. I nodded with caution, not knowing what she was going to say next.

"Oh my God! Sodapop is so hot! I can't believe you didn't tell me about this earlier!"

"I didn't know you liked him. He has a girlfriend, though. I think her name is Sandy."

Ash frowned.

"Have you even met him?", I asked.

"Yeah, I met him once at the DX while my mom was gettin' her car fixed. He's real sweet. Funny too."

If there was one stereotypical Greaser girl thing that I do, it's talk. I could talk for hours and never get bored. I think it's just in my genes, though since my mom does the same thing. Around my friends, I could swear like a sailor, too, but that's another story.

"His other brother is Darry. He works at the roofing company. They call him "Superman" 'cause of his muscles."

"I've seen him too", Ashlynn added, "And I have to agree, Superman is the perfect name for him. I mean, seriously, he's huge! He was the captain on the football team in high school."

"Have you been stalking my boyfriend's family?", I asked her jokingly giggling.

"No I haven't, don't worry", she answered back with a smirk, "I might though, if Sodapop ever breaks up with his girlfriend."

We finished getting our things on and quickly scurried into class. We started our dance for the recital to make sure everything would be perfect for the big performance in Spring.

By the end of class, I was so tired, I could have fallen asleep right there on the couch while changing. I said quick goodbyes and curtsied one last time to my teacher before leaving.

On my walk home, I basically ran, the sun setting in the sky. I knew that after daylight savings, I would have to walk with someone to assure I wasn't jumped. Before I switched grades, I walked home from school with Ashlynn since she lives down the street. Now since we went to different schools, I walked home with Pony (and because we were friends and then a couple).

I was incredibly relieved when I walked into the house. I basically inhaled my dinner, finished my homework at the speed of sound, took the quickest shower possible, said goodnight, and was in bed and setting my alarm by 8:30. Weekdays always drain all my energy and I hoped that it would get better as the school year progressed.

 **No criticism please! Just tell me if I've made any spelling errors etc and I'll fix them right away! Stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy (late) Thanksgiving! And to anyone reading this that's not from the U.S.A…Well, happy random day in November. Sorry I haven't been updating as much. School is keeping me busy. I do not own "The Outsiders"! All rights and characters belong to the wonderful S.E Hinton! I only own Lily, her family and some of her friends! Please don't leave hate as this is my first Fanfiction. I love y'all and stay gold!**

— **AthenaRavenclaw13**

A week progressed with nothing out of the ordinary happening. That was until my dad told me on Tuesday he wanted to meet Ponyboy in the next few days.

"You do?", I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Ask him tomorrow how Thursday sounds."

"If you say so."

The next day Pony came by my house to walk with me to school as usual.

"Hey, hon?", I asked.

He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. He'd been smoking around me more often than he used to which I was fine with.

"Yeah, darlin'? Is somethin' wrong?"

"No it's just… My dad wants to meet you on Thursday. He wanted to know if you're free."

"Yeah, I am. I have track practice first, though. You can come watch if you wanna. That way we can still walk home together."

Frankly, I thought he'd be more nervous, but it was good that he wasn't losing his marbles over it. Yet.

"Sure, I've never seen ya run before. Other than when we raced on the first day of school", I smiled at the memory.

"Well, I've never seen you dance before", he smirked, "When'll I see you do that?"

"You'll have to wait until June. That's when the recital is."

"It's September", Pony exclaimed, "I have to wait that long?"

"If you wanna see me dancin' in a show, then yes", I smiled again, giving Ponyboy a kiss on the cheek, "I could always dance otherwise. Remember, I still haven't taught you like I promised."

"Maybe that's what we can do on our next date", he said before stopping to give me a peck on the lips.

Soon enough Thursday came and after school, I sat down on the bleachers next to the field with my backpack and a book.

Pony and I had agreed that after track, he would walk me home, go back to his house to get cleaned up, and come back for dinner.

There were some days when I didn't really feel like actually trying with my outfits and today was one of those days, so I was wearing jeans, Converse, a pink t-shirt, and Pony's jean jacket that he was letting me wear while he was doing practice. My hair was in a simple braid down my back.

There are times that I'm reminded about how handsome Pony was. I mean, he always looked handsome to me, but sometimes he just looked more handsome than usual. If you just looked at him, he looks scrawny, but when he was in his track uniform, you could see that he had some muscles. I had never seen him without a shirt (obviously) so I didn't know if he had abs or not, but I didn't really care either way. He had definite leg muscles from running and he had biceps that were smaller than some other boys (namely Darry), but they were there.

I heard the coach yell "Oh your mark! Get set! Go!" and then he blew the whistle. All the boys shot off their starting positions and ran. Pony shot off like a gun and in the blink of an eye, he was in second place. He kept running just as fast, though. About 100 yards from the finish, he sped up even more, getting into first place and crossing the finish line.

Right after he crossed the line, he slowed down to a trot, walked, then stopped and I could see even from the bleachers that he was panting. He looked up at me and flashed me a triumphant grin. I smiled widely back at him, giving him a thumbs up.

Soon enough, track practice was over and Ponyboy was back with me, now in his regular t-shirt and jeans.

"So, how'd you like it?", he asked. The hair along his hairline was plastered to his face and his face was red. He wasn't very sweaty anymore, though which was good.

"You did great, hon!", I told him. It was true. He had run 4 races. He won 1, came in 3rd twice, and 5th once.

"You should probably keep my jacket 'til we get to your house. That way it won't get all gross. And besides, all that running made me hot."

"Okay", I said. I felt excited, yet anxiety was bubbling up in my stomach.

"Are you excited to meet my family?", I asked, taking his hand.

"Yeah, but I'm nervous too", he said as he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. He seemed to do that whenever he felt that either one of us felt anxious in some way.

I fingered my necklace, "The only ones in my family that you should be scared of are the twins. I can control my parents. They are a _totally_ different story."

Ponyboy chuckled, "They couldn't be that bad."

"Oh, but they are", I replied in a smirking, "They are a pretty big portion of why I can fight. We roughhouse all the time. I've had to tackle them both to the ground countless times."

"No offense, darlin', but you don't really seem like the kind of person that could fight."

"I don't like to", I started, "Unless it's play fighting or self defense".

"You're real tuff. You know that, Lily?"

"Thank you, hon. You're tuff too".

By this point, we were at my house. I gave Pony his jacket back, gave him a quick peck on the lips, and went inside.

"So how was his track practice"?, Mom asked in her usual sweet manner. She was at the stove, cooking dinner.

"It was good. He came in top 5 in all of their races."

"He was probably trying to impress you", she said with that motherly knowing smirk.

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready", I called as I ran up the stairs, taking them 2 at a time.

I dropped my backpack onto the floor and flopped on my bed. I cracked my neck and back because they felt tight and I knew that I wouldn't be allowed to do it at the table since it was "unladylike" as my grandmother would put it (although I knew Pony wouldn't care).

Looking through my closet, I finally chose a more casual black dress with a white Peter Pan collar and my black flats. Since my hair had been in a braid all day, it was wavy, so I just took the braid out, twisted a little section in the front and pinned it back.

That was when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!", I practically screamed, running clumsily down the stairs and through the house. I almost knocked over my mom and came very close to simultaneously running into the coffee table and knocking over a lamp.

When I finally got to the door, I flattened the skirt of my dress, took a deep breath and opened the door.

On the porch stood Ponyboy. He had a nice pair of jeans and his t-shirt was tucked into them ( _Darry probably made him do that_ , I thought), along with his jean jacket and Converse. His hair had been redone and was slicked back as usual. He wore a nervous smile on his face that was definitely toned down when he saw me.

"Hi, darlin'", he greeted me, "Don't you look pretty?"

"Don't I look pretty every day?", I asked, jokingly.

"You know what I mean", he smirked, "This is for you".

Pony held out a single rose.

"Awwe, Pony. You're so sweet", I told him, a huge smile on my face. Before someone could come to the door and ruin the moment, I quickly stood on tip-toe and give him a kiss on the lips. I grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers, and walking to the living room.

"Mom and Dad, this is Ponyboy. Ponyboy, these are my parents", I introduced. Now, where are the twins, I thought.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Smith", Pony said, somehow being nervous, yet acting confident, "Lily's told me a lot about you".

"It's wonderful to meet you too, dear. She's told us a lot about you too", Mom said, going up and giving him a quick hug which I could tell he wasn't expecting. I had to hold in my laughter at his facial expression.

My dad simply gave him a handshake. "Hello again, Ponyboy", he said, calmly.

"Hello, Mr. Smith. It's nice to see you again."

"Lily, be a dear and call down the twins", my mom asked.

"ANNA! HENRY! GET DOWN HERE!", I yelled.

"You didn't need to scream, Lily. Don't scare away your boyfriend."

Pony and I both blushed at that before he piped up, "It's alright. I'm used to loudness. Lily brings out the loud in me sometimes."

I had to smile at him for that. As I heard the twins bounding down the stairs, I squeezed Ponyboy's hand.

Anna came down in a dress which Mom probably made her wear (she is definitely not as girly as me), her hair in a ponytail, and Converse (she must have either worn those without Mom's permission or argued her way into it). Henry ran down right after Anna in a marginally nice flannel shirt that was tucked into a nicer pair of jeans and he Converse on too (he probably didn't have to do as much convincing as Anna did to wear those). His hair was greased back since he had reached about the age when Greaser boys start doing that.

For twins, they didn't look very similar. Anna had gotten Dad's blue eyes that I wish I had gotten while Henry got a weird hazel-ish shade between Mom's brown and Dad's blue eyes. Henry's hair was darker like Dad's while Anna's was Mom's light brown. I definitely looked like Mom. I had Mom's hair color even though mine had a reddish tint to it and her brown eyes.

The twins practically ran into Pony and I before coming to a screeching halt.

"Ponyboy, this is Anna and this is Henry", I introduced.

"Is your real name Ponyboy?", Anna asked, staring up at him. Since there was already a good 4 inch height difference between Pony and I, there must've been about a 7 or 8 inch height difference between him and the twins.

Pony shrunk down to her level, "Yep, it is. I gotta brother named Sodapop too".

"Really?"

"Yep. It's even on our birth certificates", Pony answered, looking up at me with a smirk.

"Let's eat. I hope y'all are hungry", my mom said as she walked to the kitchen.

"You good so far, hun?", I asked, stopping him for a minute.

"Yeah, darlin'. I'm good", he assured me, giving me a quick peck on the lips.

"Thank goodness you took a shower before you came, Pony", I told him, jokingly, "Otherwise, I don't think you would've been let into the house."

He smirked and once again tried and failed at cocking an eyebrow, "You should've seen the chaos at my house. Soda and Darry were runnin' around like chickens with their heads cut off, tryin' to help me pick out my clothes and stuff. The amount of cologne they sprayed was ungodly."

I laughed at the description, thinking of Darry and Soda running around the house while Pony just stood there in the middle of it, helpless, with clothes being thrown at him and cologne being sprayed in his face.

"I was doing the same, although it was all internal for me", I confessed with a grin, "Let's go eat." I grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen where we sat next to each other at the table.

After everyone's plates were full, we started the over-dinner questioning of Pony.

"Your name is very different, Ponyboy. Where did it come from?", my mother asked in her usual polite manner.

"Well, my dad was a very original person. There's my name and Sodapop's. My other brother is named after my dad and missed out on the interesting names", he told her.

"And what do your parents do?", Mom asked.

I froze with my fork about halfway to my mouth. Ponyboy and I both looked at each other with wide eyes. _Damn my forgetfulness_ , I thought. I had forgotten to tell her about Pony's parents. Since Dad knew, he looked at me in a very "you got yourself into this mess, now get yourself out" kind of way.

"Um", Pony stared nervously, "My parents died in a car wreck about 8 months ago".

"I'm so sorry", Mom said kind of sheepishly.

"I live with my brothers now. Darry is 20 and was going to go to college, but gave it up so he could take custody of Soda and I. He works 2 jobs. Sodapop is almost 17. He dropped out of school and works at the DX now", Pony said while squeezing my hand. Now it was my turn to run my thumb over his knuckles, trying to calm him down.

"Well, you are very lucky to have them", Mom said.

"I'm very lucky. I have my brothers and the gang. We support each other."

"And who does this 'gang' consist of?", Dad asked.

"Me, Darry, Soda, Johnny Cade, Keith Matthews, Steve Randle, and Dallas Winston".

Dad practically choked on his carrots, "Dallas Winston?! You know that hoodlum?!"

"Yes, I do", Pony said. I could tell he was getting riled up.

"Please tell me my daughter hasn't met him."

"She has. Lily doesn't like him, though. When she met him she threatened that if he hit on her or called her a 'broad', she'd beat him up", Ponyboy said, smirking at me the whole time.

My dad started to laugh, "It sounds like something she'd do. I know she'll go through on that promise. Lily here is real stubborn."

"I prefer the term 'headstrong'", I piped in.

"Now, you won't let Lily near him. Do I make myself clear?", Dad asked, suddenly becoming more serious.

"No, sir. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep her safe", Pony assured him while looking at me with a gentle smile.

We continued our conversations and questioning for another 45 minutes, Pony and I haver letting go of each other's hand under the table.

"I really think they liked you, hun", I told him as he was putting his jacket on.

"That's what I was hopin' for, darlin'. Now come outside", he told me with a grin.

Taking my hand, Pony dragged me outside.

"Why did you want me to come outside exactly?", I questioned him.

"So I could do this", he exclaimed. Ponyboy rushed up to me, grabbed me by the waist and picked me up. _He's stronger than he looks_ , I thought. When he had me in the air, his hands on my waist and mine on his shoulders, he decided to kiss me on the lips and spin me around. I smiled into the kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck. I didn't care if anyone saw. I was too happy to care.

After a good 30 seconds of kissing and spinning my around, Pony put me back on the ground. I had a huge smile on my face and he had one almost as large on his.

"You're real romantic, hun, you know that?", I told him, giggling.

"I try. See you tomorrow?"

"Of course", I assured him, giving him a final kiss on the lips.

With that, Pony gave me a quick hug and started off to his house.

"I love him already", Mom said as soon as I walked into the house while she was washing the dishes, "And I saw what you did out there. Y'all are too cute."

My cheeks were red, not only from the cold, but from the kiss and the spinning.

"He treats you like a princess", Mom said once I had walked up to her.

"He gives you a flower, and the hand holding, and the kisses, and the spinning you around", she started rambling.

"How'd you know that we were holding hand under the table?", I asked in shock.

"I was a teenager too, once", she said with a smirk.

She slid a vase across the counter, "Now go put that rose in water before it dies. And go talk to Dad. You'll wanna hear his opinion on your boyfriend, too."

I picked the flower off the table and that vase off the counter before finding Dad.

"So", I started, "How'd you like Ponyboy?"

He looked up from the newspaper he was reading on the couch (he reads those there a lot), "I liked him."

"Really?!"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?", he asked jokingly, cocking an eyebrow. He is where I got that "talent" from.

"No. I was just worried that you wouldn't like him and I was so nervous and-".

Dad cut me off, "Honey, you're rambling again. I think he'll protect you. He seems trustworthy. He's obviously smart. And y'all seem to really care for each other."

That was all I needed to hear. As I put the vase with the rose into my room, I couldn't wait to tell Pony tomorrow what my parents had said. I knew he'd be just as ecstatic as me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next morning, I told Ponyboy what my parents had said about him after he'd left.

"My mom 'loves you already'", I recapped, "And my dad said that he thinks you're trustworthy, smart, and you'll protect me".

"Oh, thank God", he sighed, "I was terrified that they'd hate me. Especially since you and your dad got in an argument over us dating when we first started going out."

"Trust me, it's a weight off my shoulders too."

Pony's eyes suddenly drifted downward.

"Ponyboy 'Middle-Name' Curtis", I reprimanded him, "I swear on all that is holy, if you are lookin' at my chest…"

His eyes suddenly widened and his ears went red, "No! I promise I wasn't lookin' there! I was looking at the necklace I gave ya. Have you even taken it off since I gave it to you?"

Relieved, I answered him, "Well, yeah. I take it off when I go to dance, when I sleep, and when I take a shower, but other than that, I'm always wearing it."

He smiled, "It's good to know that I got you a good gift, then, darlin'".

"I wouldn't have cared if you'd gotten me a necklace made of string. All that matters is that it's from you, hun."

"You're too sweet, Lily", he said with a smirk before giving me a kiss.

"And when you where threatening me", he started, "Did you call me 'Ponyboy "Middle-Name" Curtis'?

"Yes I did. I don't now your middle name, so I had to improvise".

Pony started to laugh which made me laugh.

"It's Michael", he said when he had finally calmed down, "You know mine, so now you have to tell me your's Lily 'Middle-Name' Smith".

"Grace. Lily Grace Smith", I admitted.

"I think it's beautiful", Pony said smiling and looking into my eyes, "Almost as beautiful as the girl the name was given to".

"Thank you, Pony", I thanked him bashfully, "But I'm not that pretty".

"Yes you are, darlin'!", he exclaimed, "You are beautiful."

"No I'm not", I argued, "Name one thing on me that is beautiful. I'd be surprised if you could find any more than that."

"I accept your challenge", he said.

"Then start", I said, not believing that he could come up with more than one.

Ponyboy stopped on the sidewalk and grabbed my arms, "Your hair. It is golden and long and frames your face beautifully. No matter how you style it, the sun glints off it and makes it look like a halo. Your smile. It's adorable and crooked and just you. I love watching you smile, especially if I'm the one that is causing it. It shows just how happy and loving of a person. Your lips. I love kissing them. Your hands, They are small and fit perfectly in mine. Your height. You're just tall enough that you don't have to crane your neck to see me. And you are just small enough for me to pick you up and spin you around. Your face. It shows exactly how you feel, When you read or when someone is telling you a story, your face is so expressive. Your eyes. Where to start with your eyes. When you are talking about something you love, they sparkle and shine. When you're mad, they hold fire in them. They are the most beautiful color I have ever seen, like chocolate. The corners of your eyes crinkle up when you laugh or smile and your eyes almost close. Your eyelashes frame your eyes perfectly. They are long and dark. After we kiss, your eyes show so much happiness and joy. And last, but certainly not least, your laugh. Your laugh is the most beautiful sound that I've ever heard in my whole life. It show just who much joy you have inside of you. It makes me so incredibly happy when you laugh. When I'm the one who made you laugh, I feel like just accomplished something in making you happy. You are beautiful, Lily, and never ever let anyone tell you differently."

At this point I was crying. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and onto my jacket. I jumped up into Ponyboy's arms and hugged him as tightly as I could. He just held me around my waist and squeezed me equally as tight.

"How'd I get so lucky that I found you?", I asked through tears.

"I could ask the same question, darlin'", he told me. His voice was comforting. My hand had started to run through the hair on the back of his head. It was stiff from all the grease in it.

"C'mon, now, darlin'. Ya gotta stop crying. We have to get to school", Pony whispered in my ear a before setting me down.

"It's a good thing I forgot to put on mascara this morning", I told him jokingly as I wiped my eyes with my sleeves.

"Goodness, Lily, you're turnin' into Two-Bit", he said with a smirk, "Next thing you know, you'll be stealing and drinkin' all the time. And you'll be 3 years behind in school."

"Oh, shut up", I laughed. I was luck that I wasn't one of those people whose face gets and stays red after they cry. Because if I was, I'd be screwed.

"Let's get to school", Pony said, starting to drag me along.

Nothing really happened at school that day. Nothing important, anyway.

It was about 5 o'clock when I got a call from the Curtis house.

"He did what now?!", I practically screamed through the receiver.

I could almost feel Sodapop flinch at my voice on the other end of the line, "He got jumped".

"How in God's name did he manage that?", I asked, my voice slightly calmer now.

"He went to see a movie alone at the movie house and was jumped while he was walkin' home", Soda told me with a sigh.

"Is he alright?", I questioned, concerned.

"Yeah, he's gonna be fine, Lily. One of the Socs pulled a blade on 'im. He's got a little cut on his neck, but he'll survive."

I sighed, "Well, tell Pony that I'll see him on Monday and that I hope he feels better soon."

"Will do, doll", Soda assured me. I could tell he was smirking.

With that I hung up and groaned. _Damn Socs_ , I thought, _Always jumpin' us_.

Little did I know that I wouldn't be seeing Pony on Monday. Johnny either. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a long, exhausting road full of sadness, heartbreak, and loss. If only I knew. It would've stopped what was to come in it's tracks. But unfortunately, I'm not a fortune teller. If I was, I would've put the breaks on this entire thing before it even started.

 **I think y'all know what's going on now. This is the beginning of the end. Wow, I sound dramatic. Let me rephrase that. Right now is where the actual book "The Outsiders" essentially starts. Pony just got jumped. Now with what's to come, what's Lily going to do? How will she react? What's going to happen to her while Ponyboy and Johnny are gone? Keep reading to find out. Sorry this chapter was so short. I promise, once we get into the thick of things, they'll get longer again. I love y'all and stay gold! -AthenaRavenclaw13**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, y'all! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School's been keeping me busy. The term was ending, so it was chaos trying to make sure everyone had their assignments passed in so they could get credit. It's finally December which means it's almost Christmas! Or Hanukkah. Or Kwanza. I will definitely be writing more during Christmas Break, so y'all can look forward to that. I love y'all and stay gold! -AthenaRavenclaw13**

The next day went on as a usual Saturday did. I woke up late, did homework, did chores, and put away groceries. I went to bed that night with the no thoughts that something bad would happen. No even in my wildest dreams did I expect what came next.

At about 2:15 in the morning, I was woken up by my Mom.

"Lily", she said, shaking me awake. She had concern etched on her face which immediately made me concerned too, even in my half-asleep state.

"What? What happened?", I asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Lily, you have a phone call."

"What? Who is calling me at 2:15 in the morning?"

"It's Ponyboy's brother. Something happened. You need to talk to him now."

I was wide awake now. I ripped off my blanket and jumped out of bed, running downstairs where the phone was lying face-down on the table. The wire that connected it to the wall was pulled taut.

I picked up the phone quickly, almost dropping it.

"What happened?", I asked immediately, starting to panic.

"Lily, thank God", I heard Sodapop's voice over the receiver and he sounded extremely destressed, "Something happened."

"I heard", I said, starting to get annoyed, "What is the something?!"

"Today, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally went to the drive-in. After they left, Pony and Johnny went to the lot. They were sittin' there and fell asleep. Ya dig so far?"

"Yes. Keep going", I urged him on.

Soda took a deep breath, "So they fell asleep and Pony didn't come home 'til 2. Darry was worried sick. He was driving himself up the wall. When Pony finally came home, all hell broke loose. Darry started screamin' at 'im. I was asleep on the couch, but the yelling woke me up. Darry was yelling at Pony for not usin' his head and never thinking. When I tried to stand up for Pony, Darry lashed out at me. Ponyboy yelled at Darry for yelling at me. That's when Darry hit Pony so hard, he was on the floor. He got up and ran outta the house like the devil was chasin' after him. He's not back yet. I was wondering if he was at your house."

"DARRY DID WHAT NOW?!", I almost screamed into the phone. I was infuriated. At this point, my face was probably red.

Ponyboy was always saying how Darry was always on his case and was too strict. But he had also told me that no one hits each other in his family. Ever. I never thought that Darry would stoop this low, though.

I could almost feel Soda flinching through the phone at my voice.

"No, Ponyboy is not at my house", I told Soda through gritted teeth. I wanted to yell so badly. I could feel the frustration building up inside of me, growing hot in my chest.

As I've mentioned before, I can swear like a sailor, just like other Greaser girls can. I have one major difference about my swearing though. I know when not to do it. I only do it in front of friends. At this moment in time, I wanted to say so many colorful words that my grandparents would turn in their graves, but somehow, it didn't seem terribly appropriate to start loudly cussing at 2:15 in the morning while my mom was standing in the next room and everyone else in the house was sleeping.

"I have absolutely no idea in hell where he is, Soda", I angrily whispered into the speaker.

"God damn it", I heard him mutter.

"Sodapop. Listen to me", I ordered sternly, "I am coming to your house at 7. I am going to be there and I am going to talk to you. I am also going to give a piece of my mind to your older brother. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal. See ya in a few hours, Lily". And with that he hung up the phone.

As I started my walk back up the stairs, Mom called me back down. She was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking something hot out of her favorite mug.

"Sit down, Peanut. I'll get you some hot chocolate", she said while getting up and pouring me some of the drink into a mug like her's.

I sat down hard, my nightgown puffing up momentarily before settling back down.

Mom sat down and slid my cocoa across the table.

"What was that all about? What happened?", she asked urgently.

I told her the story Soda had told me and in the process, my frustration had finally made itself known in the act of me crying. My tears fell onto my lap, making the light blue fabric of my nightgown darker in the places they fell.

"Oh, Lily", she comforted, pulling me into a hug. She held me on her lap as I cried into her shoulder like I did when I was a child. Her hand rubber soothing circles on my back while she hummed a lullaby.

"Honey, look at me", she directed, tilting my chin up, "I think you should stay with Ponyboy's family if they allow it, while y'all are looking for him."

"Really?", I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. If they say that you can, then you can stay with them. But just for the time being until you find Ponyboy. When you go to their house tomorrow, ask them, and if they say yes, come back here and grab some clothes, your toothbrush, etc and go back over to their house. When you find him, you have to come back here."

"Alright". I was all cried out. I just wanted to go back to bed and sleep until I would be going over to the Curtis house at 7.

I slept until 6:30. I felt as though it was an adequate time to wake up since it gave me about 20 minutes to get ready (I still had to walk about 10 minutes to get to the Curtis's house. I was still kind of frazzled from a few hours ago. In a kind of stupor, I quickly pulled on some jeans, a t-shirt, Converse, and a sweatshirt. I put my hair up into a ponytail and brushed my teeth. Then I said bye to my parents (the twins weren't awake yet) and left.

Was it a smart idea for me to be walking alone? No, no it was not. Frankly, it was quite a stupid idea, but at that moment I wasn't really thinking.

I was a few blocks from the Curtis house when I saw a red Corvair trailing me. I remembered when Soda told me Pony got jumped a few days ago, it was by some Socs in a red Corvair. I quickened my pace, shoving my hands into the front pockets of my jeans and slouching as apposed to my usual dancer's straight posture.

"Hey Greaser", one of the Socs yelled out of the window. I started to jog. I could see the house.

"Hey Greaser! You wanna come with us? We could show you a good time!". I knew what they were suggesting and I felt my face flush with anger and embarrassment. That's when I ran. I ran to the house and busted through the door, quickly remembering the Curtis's open door policy.

I slammed by back against the door, closing it. I was breathing heavily and my hands were clammy.

I looked up to see Soda's shocked expression, "What happened to you?"

"Red Corvair", I puffed out my words with intervals of wheezes in between, "Socs *wheeze* Trailing me *wheeze* Catcalling *wheeze* Ran here *wheeze* Was a few blocks away".

"Oh God, Lily", Sodapop told me sympathetically, "Come into the living room with me. The rest of the gang's there."

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders comfortingly and led me to the living room where the gang was sitting around in various states of disarray. Everyone had solemn looks on their faces, even Two-Bit's usual goofy grin was replaced with a frown. The boys all had dark circles under their eyes and I assumes that they had been out late last night, hunting for Johnny and Ponyboy.

"Darrel", I said harshly, "Come with me. Now". He was in his recliner looking extremely distressed.

Dally was sitting on the couch and when I ordered Darry to follow me, he got a bit of a smirk on his face.

"Do you think you're gonna beat up Superman?", he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Am I going to? No. Could I? Probably", I responded, gritting my teeth. The gang looked kind of scared of me. I have a way of shutting people up or having them do what I order them to do just with my voice. I am usually a very happy, carefree person, but when someone gets me really angry, it never ends well for them or me.

I roughly grabbed Darry's arm in a tight grip and yanked him into Soda and Pony's bedroom. Pony had told me that he gets nightmares, so Soda sleeps with him because he is the only one who can calm him down.

"What the hell were you thinking?!", I yelled, before lowering my voice, "Why in the world would you hit Ponyboy?!"

If we hadn't been in such a serious situation, I would've laughed. Darry was almost a foot taller than me so I had to crane my neck just to look at his face. He sat on the bed so we could be at about the same height level.

"I don't know what I was thinkin' to be honest with you, Lily", Darry muttered, holding his head in his hands, "He doesn't use his head. Pony is so smart, but he just doesn't think."

"Darry", I told him sternly, "Move your hands".

He took his hands away from his face and I saw tears. There wasn't outright sobbing, but there were definitely tears streaming down Darry's face.

"I'm such a terrible brother", he said, his voice cracking, "I promised to protect them. After Mom and Dad died, we're the only family we have left. I screwed up. I screwed up big time. And now it's all my fault that Pony and Johnny are gone. God knows were they are and it's all my fault!"

I think one of the saddest noises on Earth is when someone's voice cracks right before they start sobbing. It shows that the dam is breaking. Sodapop and Ponyboy were Superman's kryptonite.

"Darrel Shynne Curtis", I said as tears started to stream down my own face, "What you did was wrong. It wasn't fair to anyone. But you have to stop beating yourself up over this. I totally agree that you screwed up, but would your parents want you moping around? No they'd want you to be proactive about this and be searching for Pony."

I held my arms out and gave Darry a hug. I could feel the tears hitting my collarbone as Darry sobbed his heart out. I grabbed his face.

"Darry you listen to me and you listen to me good. You. Are. A. Good. Brother. You just need to loosen up. Pony thinks you don't love him. He told me himself. I know y'all love each other, but you're too harsh on him."

"When we find him, I'm never gonna argue with him again", he said looking into my eyes.

I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Let's go back into the living room", I said calmly. Both of our tears had stopped, so it was okay to go in front of the gang again.

When we walked into the living room, all the boys looked at us. They must've sensed that our issue was resolved because everyone seemed to relax. That's when there was a knock at the door. Everyone looked at each other. No one ever knocks at the door. Darry walked over to the door and open it up. I followed behind. There were police officers at the door. Two of them with gleaming badges and shirts tucked neatly into their pants.

"Is this the Curtis residence?", asked the taller one.

"Yes", Darry answered cautiously, "How can I help y'all?"

"Well", started the shorter one, "At approximately 2:05 this morning, an 18 year old by the name of Bob Sheldon was killed in the park by the fountain. He had been stabbed in the stomach. When we asked friends of his, they said that boys named Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis had been involved in the murder. Do you happen to know anything about this?"

All the blood drained from my face. My eyes went so wide I was surprised they didn't pop out of my head. I suddenly felt like I was about to throw up and my head felt light. _Ponyboy_ _and Johnny killed someone_ , I thought. Bob Sheldon. I knew him. He was a Soc. Pony had told me about Johnny getting jumped a few months ago and one of the boys had rings that had scarred up Johnny's face. That boy was Bob Sheldon. My throat was closing up. I wanted to cry. That's when everything went dark.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, y'all! Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. School's been keeping me busy, along with everyone rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off (I've always loved that phrase) for the holidays. Like I said in my note in the last chapter, when Christmas Break comes around, I'll definitely be updating more. Here's a long chapter. I liked writing it (although I like writing all my chapters, I liked this one a lot) and I hope y'all with enjoy reading it. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**

I woke up in a bed. I could smell something familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I had to think back. When did I fall asleep? Then it all came rushing back. Pony and Johnny killing a Soc. They ran away. God knows where they are.

Soda was sitting at the foot of the bed. "It took you long enough to wake up", he said with a smirk.

"Who's bed is this?", I asked, holding my head. It hurt. I must've hit it when I passed out.

"Me and Pony's", Soda answered.

 _That's what the smell is_ , I thought. It was the light smell of cigarettes and cologne and was on Ponyboy's jacket whenever he let me wear it.

"Sorry to intrude, Soda", I apologized.

"Don't worry about it, doll. You want somethin' to eat? You slept right through dinner."

"What time is it", I questioned groggily.

"'Bout 7, I reckon."

"I would love some food, if it isn't too much trouble", I told Soda.

"No problem. Pony wouldn't let us be if we let his gal starve."

With that we walked into the kitchen. I sat at the table.

"Soda, do you have any aspirin?", I asked, my head starting to act up again.

"Yeah. Why? Are you alright, Lily?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just hit my head when I blacked out and it hurts", I responded with a slight groan.

"Here ya go", Sodapop said, putting 2 aspirins and a glass of water in front of me.

"Thank you", I said before swallowing the pills.

"What did the officers say?", I asked nervously.

"Well, they grew mighty concerned when you passed out cold. They asked who you are and we just said Pony's girlfriend. Luckily they didn't go into more detail, otherwise it might not have ended well."

"Do they know where they are?"

"No, but Dally said they're in Texas", he said with a sigh.

"Texas?!", I cried, immediately regretting it when my head started to throb.

"They believed him, but we sure as hell don't. We know that he knows where they are, but won't tell us. Maybe he'll tell you".

"I sure as hell hope so, Soda", I responded, letting out a breath.

Soda put the plate on the table with some butter next to it. It was just pasta which I was completely fine with. I started mixing the pasta and butter together and eating when I remembered something. In all the chaos from earlier, I had forgotten to ask Soda if I could stay at their house until Pony came back to help looking for him.

"Soda", I said, swallowing before trying to get his attention.

"Yeah, doll?", he said. I could tell that he was exhausted. His movie-star looks seemed faded and his eyes that usually held so much light and happiness, looked more dull and tired.

"I just wanted to know, and you and Darry can definitely say no, if I can stay here until we find Pony and Johnny and bring 'em home", I said, my voice rising at the end as though I was asking a question.

"I'll talk to Darry about it, but my vote is yes."

"Alright. Can you talk to him soon? I don't want my parents gettin' worried about me and thinking I'm staying out late."

"Yeah, that might be helpful", he said smirking and for a second, the light came back into his eyes.

Sodapop walked into the living room and I could hear him saying to Darry, "Can me and Lily talk to you for a minute, Superman?"

Heavy footsteps hit the floor and Darry and Soda walked into the kitchen and sat down on either side of me at the table.

"Whaddya' need, Lily?" , Darry asked.

I gestured to Soda, suddenly becoming very immersed in the food in front of me.

Soda rolled his eyes playfully at me throwing him under the bus.

"Our brother's wonderful girlfriend, here, would like to know if she can stay here until we find Pony and Johnnycakes", Soda said, sarcasm joking dripping from every one of the first few words. I turned to Soda, a noodle sticking half-way out of my mouth before I quickly slurped in in. I could see him trying very hard to to laugh at that.

"Of course", Darry assured, luckily not seeing the noodle, "As long as your parents know".

"Actually", I started, "My mom was the one who gave me the idea."

"I'm fine with you staying if your parents are good with it. You wanna call them?", Darry asked.

"Yes please. Wheres the phone?"

Soda directed me to the phone and I quickly called my house.

"Hello?", I heard my mom's voice say.

"Hey, Mom. It's Lily. They said I can stay. I'll be over in a few minutes to get my stuff", I said, not really giving her time to answer before hanging up.

"You want me to walk you, doll?", Soda asked.

"No, I'm fine", I told him.

"You almost got jumped earlier today", he reminded me.

"I can fight. I know how. If there are too many, I'll just yell for one of y'all", I told him matter-of-factly.

"Fine. I'm not one to deny someone their right to beat someone else up, so if you say you can, then you can".

"I'll be back in about 15 to 20 minutes."

I walked out of the house, closing the door behind me. I trotted along the streets, to my house. When I walked in, I immediately walked up the steps to my room. I grabbed some jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas, etc from my dresser and closet and put them into a backpack along with some books and other stuff I would need. Almost running down the stairs, I kissed my family goodbye for now and walked back out of the door.

As I slung the backpack over my shoulder, a cold breeze hit me and made me shiver a bit. Even though I had only been to the Curtis house a few times, I already know the way there like the back of my hand. That happens to me sometimes.

I was once again a few blocks from the house when I heard the voices. "Hey Greaser!", they yelled. God dammit, I thought to myself. Just like Ponyboy, I don't use my common sense. My mom could tell you that any time. What made me think that it was a good idea to walk home and back to the Curtis house at night in the dark? I don't know, but whatever it was, I was mad at it.

"Hey", I heard one of the boys say, "Isn't that the broad we saw earlier?" My teeth ground together.

"Oh yeah", another one responded, "She was ignoring us. I think we need to teach her a lesson about listening and respecting her superiors. How 'bout it boys?"

The Socs got out of their red Corvair and started lumbering towards me. There where 3 of them.

"Wait a minute", the Soc who had yelled 'greaser' said to his buddy, "This is that Curtis kid's gal."

I stopped walking and turned around on my heel. I glared at them hard.

"What's it to you?", I asked threateningly.

"Well", the boy answered, "Your boyfriend and his friend killed our buddy, Bob. And we're mad. Joe. Mikey. Get the little bitch."

That set me off. My face got red from anger and I wanted to hurt him, but I did the logical thing and started to run.

Unfortunately, before I could get very far, one of the boy's goonies (I think this one was Joe) grabbed me by both the back of my sweatshirt and my hair, still in its ponytail. He threw me to the ground. Luckily, my backpack cushioned my fall on one side of my body. Unluckily, the other side of my body hit the sidewalk hard and I knew there would definitely be bruises.

The leader grabbed my backpack from my shoulder and chucked it a few feet away before shoving Joe off me and pinning my shoulders do the ground. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"What do y'all say we have some fun with the little slut, huh boys?", he said turning to the boys. They got devilish smirks on their faces and nodded slowly.

The leader straddled my waist as I tried to prop myself up on my elbows.

"Oh no, you don't", he laughed. He reached into his back pocket and flicked open a switchblade. My eyes widened in horror.

"Get the hell off me, you bastard!", I yelled, struggling against him.

"Oh, you deserve to be punished for speaking to me like that". He took his switchblade and held it right near my throat, at the collar of my sweatshirt.

Grabbing a handful of the fabric, he began slicing downwards. He cut my sweatshirt all the way down the front, from the neck, parallel to the zipper to the top of my jeans. The cold air hit my now exposed stomach and his eyes looked at me in a way that I wanted to run and hide from.

The other boys had that hungry look in their eyes too, like a pack of starving wolves who just caught sight of prey.

The one practically sitting on me roughly grabbed the back of my head and smashed his lips onto mine.

When his tongue tried to slither into my mouth, I bit it as hard as I could until I drew blood.

He flew back and that's when I socked him in the face. Right in the jaw. He just slammed me back down onto the pavement and grabbed my ponytail.

"You're gonna pay for that, bitch. Need a haircut, Greaser?", he snarled.

He gripped his blade and began sawing off my hair, about a good 7 inches above the ends.

This infuriated me. A Greaser's hair is their pride and joy, especially a Greaser girl's hair.

Despite the fact that i knew he would hurt me again, I swung my fist. It connected with his nose and I heard a sickening crack. Blood started dripping down his face from his now broken nose.

"You're gettin' it now. Boys, get over here and help me teach our little slut here a lesson."

Micky and Joe flicked out their blades now and lunged. That's when I started screaming.

"Darry! Soda! Two-Bit! Steve! Dally! Help me!"

The Socs didn't move the goonies were trying to cut off my pants and when I started screaming, the leader put his blade next to my mouth.

"We're gonna ruin your pretty little face. How does that sound, slut?"

I continued screaming and that's when he cut my lip. Right under the bottom lip on the right side, he cut deep and it started to bleed. A lot. Then he made a less deep cut into my forehead, then right under where the two cups of my bra connected.

I continued screaming. At this point, it wasn't even words, really. More just screaming and hoping someone would notice. I had never been this scared in my entire life. I started crying from fear and pain and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it burned hotter than anything I'd ever felt before.

That's when I heard the pounding of feet no the sidewalk and yelling.

"Get outta here! This ain't your territory, you assholes!"

"That's right! You better run you bastards!"

I had closed my eyes tightly when I was screaming, but when I felt the pressure of the leader alleviated from my gut, I opened them back up.

The first thing I saw was the gang beating the ever-loving crap out of the Soc boys. The boys sped off in their fan year and the gang came over to me. Soda was the first one to fall on his knees next to me.

"Soda", I sobbed, still lying on my back.

Soda scooped me up and held me in his lap. I was practically curled in a ball, digging my had into his neck. I knew I was having an anxiety attack. I was hyperventilating and sobbing and I felt light headed.

"Lily", Soda comforted, "Doll, can you stand up?"

I shook my head no.

"Alright, come on", he said. Soda stood up, giving me Darry before shouldering my backpack.

Darry held me in his arms bridal style while I continued to have my anxiety attack.

"Shh", he said as he was walking, "Shh. It's okay, doll. We've got you now and we're goin' back to our place. We're gonna fix you up and you can go to bed. How does that sound?"

I had stopped totally hyperventilating, but my breaths were still short and fast and tears were still streaming down my face. I whimpered in response to Darry's words and buried my head into his chest.

I wrapped what was left of my sweatshirt around myself. I felt all the blood from my face, especially my lip, cascade down my cheeks and chin and fall onto my chest, making red streaks.

Looking up, I saw everyone's eyes on me. The only people in the gang who had seen me ever really cry were Two-Bit, Johnny, and Ponyboy, and only one of the three was present at the moment. Darry and Soda had seen me cry a little bit when the cops came to the door earlier today (it was hard to believe that had only been this morning), but neither of those times compared to this time. I didn't just cry, I broke. I broke like a freaking dam and everything rushed out.

When we got back to the house, Sodapop opened the door for Darry and I and everyone streamed in. Darry carried me to the living room where he carefully lay me down on the couch and he and Soda went to grab the first-aid kit.

Two-Bit sat in Darry's recliner and Dally and Steve sat on the floor next to me. They were all looking at me like I would break any second. I recognized that look. I had seen them give that look to Johnny before. That's when I remembered: the same thing that happened to me had happened to Johnny 4 months ago.

Just then, Darry and Soda came back with the first-aid kit. Darry sat on the coffee table in front of the couch and Soda sat next to me. After rustling through the kit for a few minutes, Darry found what he was looking for. He pulled out a needle and some thread.

My eyes widened a bit.

"What are you planning on doing with that?", I asked shakily.

"Doll, we need to stitch up your lip", Soda explained in a calm voice.

"Will it hurt?", I asked, worried.

"Truthfully?", Soda said, "Yes, it will hurt. But it only takes a few minutes and after we'll give you some medicine to take the pain away. Do ya think you'll be okay?"

I nodded my head. Darry took that as his cue to start trying to thread the needle. His fingers and hands were too big to do it properly.

"Here", I said quietly, "Let me". I reached out and he gave them to me. My hands were shaking, but I managed to keep them steady enough for a long enough time, to successfully threat the needle. I gave it back to Darry and grabbed Soda's hand.

"It's okay. You'll be okay", Soda assured.

Darry had told me to lie back, so I lay my head on the arm of the couch and Soda moved to the floor next to me so he could still hold my hand while I was getting the stitches.

Darry sat between my legs.

"You ready, doll?", he asked.

I nodded and lightly squeezed Soda's hand.

"I'm just warning you now, Soda", I said, "I might break your hand."

He got a confused look on his face,

"I have a string grip", I clarified.

That was when Darry put the needle into my lip.

I couldn't really move my mouth, but I managed a "God freaking dammit".

I squeezed Soda's hand tightly and I knew that now he knew what I had been talking about. He didn't complain, though, which I was thankful for. He just took it, although you could see from his facial expressions that he was in pain.

"Almost done", Darry told me.

A few tears leaked from my eyes. Soda was definitely right. This hurt a lot.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally heard Darry say, "All done, Lily. The stitches are all done."

I sat up slowly and Soda got back up next to me while the other boys left.

"Doll, I have to clean the rest of the cuts and stuff, okay?", Soda said.

I nodded.

"The antistuff is gonna sting, just lettin' ya know", he told me.

I smirked a little, "The antiseptic, you mean?"

"Yeah, that", he said. Soda pulled out some cotton balls and the bottle of antiseptic from the kit and doused the first cotton ball. Then he put it to the cut on my forehead.

"Dammit", I muttered, flinching, "That hurts".

"Sorry, doll. It's what's gotta happen to clean up the cuts."

After working on my forehead, he had to clean up the cut right below my bra.

"Are you comfortable with me doing this?", he asked.

"Yeah, it's fine."

In truth, I felt kinda exposed, but I was fine with Soda doing it. I knew he wouldn't make any moves and even though I've only known him for a short time, he was already kind of like a brother to me.

He carefully pressed the cotton ball to the injured area and I let out a small groan. I could tell he was trying to work as quickly as he could to clean up the cut so I wasn't in pain anymore and because we were both kind of uncomfortable. I mean, he's looking at his younger brother's girlfriend's chest and he already has a girlfriend, so the discomfort was definitely just.

"All done", he told me, letting out a breath.

"Thank God", I sighed, "I just wanna go to bed now."

"Go get ready and come back in here. I wanna talk to you."

"Okay?", I said, more like a question than a statement.

I walked into Pony and Soda's room where my backpack was. Pulling out my pajama shirt and pants, I quickly changed into them, making sure not to hurt my sore injuries. I brushed out my hair and put it into a low bun which I would take out before I fell asleep and brushed my teeth.

Soda was still on the couch when I came back.

"What'd you want to talk to me about, Soda?"

"If you're alright with it", he started, "I want you to tell me what happened."

My eyes widened a little.

"You don't have to if you don't want to", Soda speedily assured me.

"No, no. It's okay. Just gimme a second".

I sat down on the couch, sitting on my legs.

"I was walking back here…", I started.

By the end of the story, Sodapop was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Those bastards", he muttered, "They tried to… Oh golly, doll. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It wasn't your fault", I assured him. I would've said that it was okay, but it wasn't. The Socs had no right to do that to me. I never did anything to them. Not that I'm saying that all Socs were alike, because I knew they weren't, but at that moment, I hated Socs. I knew that I would never really ever forgive those Soc boys. I don't hold many grudges, but I was pissed off, scared, and felt vulnerable and violated.

I just wanted Pony back. At this moment, there was nothing Could've wanted more than Ponyboy holding me tight to him, wrapping his arms around me, and telling me everything would be alright while I cuddled into him. But unfortunately, Pony (along with Johnny) was God knows where, doing God knows what, with God knows who.

I hadn't realized that I had started to cry a little bit until Sodapop pulled me into him. He gave me the hug and I hugged him back.

"I miss 'im, Soda. I just want him back", I cried.

Soda knew who I was talking about. "I know, doll. I want him back too. We all do."

I realized something then. Something I had been internally grappling with for about a week now.

"I think I love him, Soda", I murmured.

"Huh? What did you say, doll?", he asked, leaning his face in a little to hear me better.

"I said", I repeated, taking a deep breath, "I said I think I love him."

Sodapop smiled. Not a smirk, but a huge, genuine smile that was contagious enough, that even in my semi-traumatized state, I smiled too.

"Oh, Lily", he said, hugging me even tighter, "I think he loves you too. He hasn't said it outright, but the way he talks about you. He never stops and when he's talkin' about you, his eyes light up and he gets this goofy smile on his face and it looks like he's just dreamin' about you while talking."

My smile grew even larger.

"I think when he comes back, I'm gonna tell him."

"I think you should. Now are ya ready for bed?"

"Yeah", I said, "I'll just take the couch. If you'll bring my backpack in here-"

Soda cut me off, "Oh, no. You're sleeping in me and Pony's bed. You've been through enough today. I'll take the couch,"

"Really, Soda. I'm fine with taking the couch-"

He cut me off again. "No ifs, buts, or ands about it, young lady. You're sleeping in me and Pony's bed and that's final", he ordered with a smirk.

"If you're sure", I said, "Thank you, Soda".

I stood up on tip-toe and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight Soda", I said, walking into his and Pony's room.

"G'night, Lily. Sleep well", he responded.

I took out my hair and slipped under the covers of Soda and Pony's bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago, I had been in this bed after going unconscious when the cops came.

I breathed in deeply, smelling the cigarettes and cologne that was so distinctly…Ponyboy. I could almost imagine he was right there next to me.

"Goodnight, Pony", I whispered into the air, "I'll see you soon."

And with that, I fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**In my opinion, this definitely isn't my best chapter, but it's kinda a filler chapter, so get ready for better chapters coming up soon. I think we all know what's going to happen soon. I'll give y'all a hint: Windrixville. That's all I'm gonna say about that for now. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavelclaw13**

Luckily, I had no nightmares last night. I got them sometimes and considering what had happened that day, I was surprised that I didn't wake up screaming.

I woke up and wondered why I was so sore. Then I remembered. The Socs, the jumping, Soda and Darry fixing me up afterwards. I put my finger to my lip where the stitches were and lightly touched the injury, feeling the thread under my fingertips.

I walked into the kitchen. seeing Sodapop at the stove.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty", he greeted, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah", I muttered, sitting in a chair at the table.

When I looked up to see Soda smirking, I suddenly remembered that I must look like crap. I had bedhead and probably dark circles under my eyes.

I folded my arms on top of the table and slammed my head into them, groaning. that made Soda snicker.

"What on Earth are you doing?", he asked, trying not to bust out laughing.

"Hiding from the world", I retorted.

"Why", he asked, chuckling.

"Because I look like crap in the morning".

"Well, the gang'll be coming over-"

Soda was cut off by the front for slamming open, making us both simultaneously groan.

"Hello, Curtis household!", Two-Bit bellowed, "I'm back!"

"Oh, good lord", I murmured into my arms, my head still buried in them.

"Hey, doll! How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you", I said.

"Why do you have your head in your arms, Lily?" I could practically hear his smirk.

"Because according to her", Soda answered for me, "She looks like crap in the morning".

"Well, it can't be that bad", Two-Bit said.

"You aren't around many girls in the morning, are you?", I said.

"Not many females are usually in the Curtis house, doll", Two-Bit countered, "So we don't usually get the chance to see them their natural state".

I laughed. "In their 'natural state'?"

"Yep", Two-Bit chuckled.

I lifted my head up.

"There", I said, gesturing to my face, "Are you happy now?"

Two-Bit dramatically staggered backwards, shielding his face with his arms while crying, "My eyes! My eyes!"

"Gee, thanks, Two", I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "You're really boosting my self-esteem".

"No problem, doll", he laughed.

"What are you making?", I asked Soda, changing the subject.

"I'm deciding between eggs or chocolate cake", he answered.

"Pardon me?", I said, wondering if I had heard him correctly, "Did you just say eggs or _chocolate cake_?"

"Yep, why?", he asked, "Didn't Pony tell you we ate chocolate cake for breakfast?"

"Yeah, but I thought he was kidding."

"Nope".

"Who makes the better chocolate cake?"

"Me", I heard two different voices say. Darry walked into the kitchen.

"I make the better cake", Darry argued.

"No, I do", Soda said.

"You put way too much sugar in the cake, little buddy", Darry said.

"No, you put way too _little_ sugar in the cake, Superman", Soda retorted.

Just then, the rest of the gang stampeded into the house.

"Let's put it up to a group vote", I suggested, always the democratic one.

"What's goin' on?", Steve asked.

"Soda and Darry are arguing about who makes the better chocolate cake", I explained. They all got looks on their faces like this happened all the time.

"I'm not in this since I've never had Soda's cake. All in favor of Sodapop's cake, raise your hands."

Soda and Steve raised their hands.

"All in favor of Darry's cake?"

Darry, Two-Bit, and Dally raised their hands.

"Darry's cake wins by one vote."

Soda groaned while Darry let out a triumphant yell.

I gestured for Two-Bit to come towards me.

"How often does this debate happen?", I asked.

"About every-other day", he replied with a smirk.

That's when the phone rang.

"I'll get it!", Soda cried.

After picking it up he yelled, "It's for you, Lily!", while covering the receiver.

I walked over and took the phone from him.

"Hello?"

"Lily, is that you?", I heard my mom ask.

"Yeah, it's me. Is something wrong?"

"Dad read the newspaper."

"Okay?", I said like a question, "He reads the paper every day. What's wrong with today's paper?"

"Lily", she started, "The top story is about your boyfriend and his friend supposedly killing someone and running off to Texas."

My eyes got huge, "Oh no".

"My point exactly", Mom said, "Now, do you know what happened?"

"Not really, but knowing Pony and Johnny, they wouldn't have hurt anyone unless it was in self-defense."

Even over the phone, I could tell that calmed her down a little.

The rest of the conversation went smoothly, then we hung up.

"What was that about?", Soda asked.

"My dad read the newspaper", I answered.

"And…?", Soda said, making a 'go on' gesture.

"And the headline is talking about Pony and Johnny killing the Soc."

Soda dropped a plate while Darry basically choked on his coffee.

"What?!", they both said.

I leaned down to pick up the pieces of the now broken plate, "Y'all heard me".

I heard the boys mutter a few choice words under their breath.

"This isn't gonna end well", I said.

"No, it's not", Darry agreed.

"Can someone please get me a dustpan and broom or something?", I asked. I didn't really feel like getting myself cut up even more than I already was.

Soda seemed to snap out of the daze he was in.

"Yeah, sure, doll", he answered, somewhat monotone, before walking over to wherever the dustpan and broom were, grabbing them and handing them to me.

I carefully swept up the small remains of the plate and threw them in the trash.

When I looked at the gang, they were all staring at me.

"Would y'all like something? Staring isn't polite, ya know."

"How're you not hitting the ceiling?", Darry asked.

"I know Ponyboy well enough to know that he can handle whatever is thrown at him. When we find him, I'm almost positive that he'll be fine dealing with this."

Soda walked into his and Pony's room and closed the door.

"Do y'all think he'll be okay?", I asked, referring to Soda.

"Yeah", Darry answered.

I nodded my head.

"Should I go to school today?", I questioned.

"No. You shouldn't be there. Not today. Everyone'll know about the killing from the paper, especially the Socs. You could get beat up again for being Pony's gal. And the Socs that jumped you yesterday will probably try to get you again", Darry said.

"When do you think it'll be okay to go back?"

"I don't know. We'll have to see how things play out."

"Did Soda even make anything?", I asked, trying to change the subject.

Two-Bit, who was standing near the stove, looked over at it.

"Nope", he said.

"I'll make the breakfast if ya want me to", I volunteered.

"We couldn't ask you to do that", Darry argued.

"Don't you have work today?", I asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"Then I'm making breakfast today", I cut him off.

"If you insist", Darry said.

"I'm just warning y'all, I'm not the best cook, so something might come out burnt."

Darry went to change into his work clothes while I started breakfast. Since Soda had been deciding between eggs and chocolate cake, I figured we had eggs. Looking in the fridge, I pulled them out.

"Two?", I asked.

"Yeah, doll?"

"How many eggs do y'all usually eat?"

"When we're all here? 'Bout 20."

"Good God, Two-Bit!", I exclaimed, "20 eggs?"

"We're growing boys. We need food."

"Glory, Two. We're feedin' a freakin' army at the Curtis house aren't we?", I joked

"I guess we are", he smirked

"We're not all here, though. How many should I make?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. I've been a junior for 2 years. You expect be to be good at math? You're the one that was bumped up a grade".

"How many do Pony and Johnny usually eat?"

" Pony usually eats 3 and Johnnycakes usually eats 2."

"That's 5. How many do you usually eat?"

"4", he replied

"Steve and Soda?"

"Usually 4 each".

Quickly doing the math in my head, I figured that Darry usually eats 3.

"Does everyone like them the same way?"

"Nope", he said, smirking.

"Everything has to be difficult, doesn't it?", I muttered.

"I'm sure nobody will mind having their eggs different then they usually do. If that's the worst that happens, with all that's goin' on, then we're just peachy."

"Good because I only know how to make them scrambled", I laughed.

I quickly grabbed 17 eggs (since Pony and Johnny weren't here and I usually only ate 2), whisked them in a bowl, and put them in the pan that had been already sitting on the stove. Two-Bit just sat back and watched.

"You could help or somethin', ya know", I told him.

"You seem to know what you're doin', so until there's smoke or fire, I'll just watch", he said smirking.

Eventually, I finished the eggs. I didn't burn them or set the house ablaze, thank God. right when I turned off the stove.

"Boys! The eggs are done!", I called.

Darry, Steve, and Dally came barreling into the kitchen. They must've been waiting in the living room until the food was done.

"The eggs are all scrambled, but if any of y'all complain about it, I'll whoop your butt", I threatened, pointing the spatula that I had been using at them.

I grabbed some for me and some for Soda (on 2 separate plates of course) and quickly ate mine.

"Does Soda like anything on his eggs?", I asked.

"Grape jelly", Darry answered.

"He likes grape jelly on his eggs?", I asked slowly, trying to figure out if I'd heard correctly.

"Yep", Steve confirmed, his mouth full of eggs.

"Steve, chew with your mouth closed, please", I said.

He swallowed, "Yes, mother".

"Will someone please give me the jelly? I'm gonna go give Soda his eggs."

Darry handed me the jelly which I quickly put on the eggs and made a bee-line to Pony and Soda's room before I could get too grossed out.

"Soda?", I asked, knocking on the door, "Can I come in?"

I heard a muffled "Uh huh", so I opened the door and walked in before closing the door.

"I brought you breakfast", I said.

Soda looked up. It looked like he'd been crying. His face was red and he had tear streaks down his cheeks.

"Oh, Soda", I comforted, putting his eggs on the bedside table.

I sat on the bed next to him.

"Soda", I ask as soothingly as possible, "What's wrong?"

"When you told me about the headline in the paper…I…I just…It all became so real. Pony and Johnny killed someone. It must've been in self-defense, but still. And now I don't know where they are. They could be in Texas. When Dally told us that's where they were, Two-Bit almost ran out the door to go down there and find them. And what if they get hurt? Or worse? What'll we do then?"

Sodapop had started crying again and I leaned over and hugged him. I held him and hummed a song under my breath as he cried into my shoulder.

After about 5 minutes, he started to calm down. His breathing was back to normal and the tears had become less frequent.

"Feel better, now?", I asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, doll. This is so embarrassing."

"Why?"

"I don't usually cry in front of people, much less girls."

"Why should it matter if a girl sees you cry? It doesn't make you any less of a man. You've seen me cry, so why should it matter?"

He shrugged, "I didn't really know how you felt until now. Last night when you said that you missed Pony…I did too, but I didn't realize just how much until now."

I softly smiled at him before leaning over and kissing his cheek.

"I made eggs. I heard you like them with jelly."

I leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed the plate, putting it on Soda's lap.

"Are you gonna be stayin' in here tonight, or are you going to sleep on the couch again?", I asked.

"Depends", Soda answered between bites of his eggs.

"On…?"

"Are you comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me?"

"Soda, you're like a brother to me. I'll be fine."

I ran my hand through the right side of my hair and got confused when my fingers hit air earlier than they usually did when I did that. That's when I remembered that the Soc boy who had been on top of me had used his blade not only to cut my body, but he cut off about 7 inches of my hair. It now stopped at the middle of my back, when it used to go down to about my hips.

"Dammit", I muttered.

"What's wrong?", Soda asked after swallowing a mouthful of eggs.

"Those damn Socs cut off my hair". I almost felt like crying. Even the Greaser boys had a strong attachment to their hair so, being a girl, I was even more devastated than they would be.

"I'm sorry to hear that, doll", Soda said.

"Are you bein' sarcastic with me, Curtis?"

"Just a tad", he said, smirking.


	14. Chapter 14

**In this chapter, there will be lots of text taken from the original book The Outsiders. This is definitely the longest chapter so far. All rights belong to S. E Hinton. I keep forgetting to say thank you. Thanks to all of you so much! Your comments make me so happy and reading them always brightens up my day. I can't express how grateful I am for all your support. I love y'all and stay gold- AthenaRavenclaw13**

The next week or so was interesting. Since I was staying at the Curtis house, there wasn't really any such thing as calm, so I had to deal with 5 boys constantly running inland out of the house like lunatics. Two-Bit got jumped. The tension between Greasers and Socs had grown significantly.

That Tuesday, I went back to school. The gang and I figured that although "the incident" (as we called it) obviously wouldn't be blown over, the Socs who jumped me would be a little less aggressive towards me. Was that true? Yes. But I had to deal with something almost as bad. Bullying.

Don't get me wrong, since I'm a Greaser, I get made fun of all the time at school and I've gotten used to it over the years. But when I came back to school after "the incident", it got so much worse.

Even though Darry had ordered Two-Bit to be watching me all the time, it wasn't always possible. I could barely even walk down the hallway without some Soc yelling out "Greaser!", "So that was your boyfriend that killed the Soc?", or the ever-present insult that they would use whenever Two-Bit wasn't around "You're disgusting. Nobody wants you here. Maybe you should do everyone a favor a die".

It was killing me. I could almost feel my usually happy demeanor draining out of me. When I got back to the Curtis house after school, I usually went straight into Soda and Pony's room and just stayed in there until dinner where I would eat and then go back in.

Soda hasn't emerged from his and Pony's room unless there was food or he has to use the bathroom. We usually just sat in there alone except for each other, wallowing in our depressed states. Whenever one of the gang asked why I was always in there, I simply said that I had a lot of homework that I needed to get done.

Everyday, at some point, I would ask Dally to tell me where Pony and Johnny were. Everyday he would say no. Until Thursday. I think that even he could tell that in just 2 days, I had gone downhill.

I asked my daily, "Dally will you please just tell me where Pony and Johnny are?" after dinner.

"C'mon", he whispered, pulling me onto the back steps by my arm.

"Are you actually gonna tell me?"

"I'll do ya one better", he smirked, "Tomorrow, I'm goin' to visit them. I'll take you with me if you want."

I couldn't help myself. I hugged him. I hugged the infamous hood Dallas Winston hard around the waist until he practically yanked me off of him.

"Thank you so much Dally", I told him, "But _where are they_? Tell me what happened that night."

"That night, I was at Buck's in my room sleeping. Then Buck comes up and tells me to get my sorry ass up because someone wants to see me. When he says it's Johnny and Pony, I go downstairs and talk to 'em. Pony was dripping wet and Johnny looked like he'd just seen a ghost. We all went upstairs to my room and Johnny told me what happened since Pony was a mess. Do you actually know what happened?"

"I know they killed a Soc", I volunteered.

"After Darry hit Pony, he went back down to the lot where Johnny was. They both went to the park so Pony could cool down enough to go home. That's when the Socs came. They were the same ones that jumped Johnnycakes a few months ago. The leader, Bob, told one of his goonies to grab Pony and 'give him a bath'. So the goony grabbed Pony and dunked him in the fountain. They kept doin' it until Johnny whipped out his blade and stabbed Bob in the gut. That made all of 'em scatter. So anyways, after Johnny told me the story, I gave Pony some new clothes and my jacket and told them to take the 2:15 freight to Windrixville. There's a church there on Jay Mountain where they've been stayin'."

"Oh my God", I whispered, putting my hands over my mouth, "I didn't know it was that bad."

"Yeah…", Dally said.

I suddenly got kinda mad.

"Dallas Winston", I started, trying to be as quiet as possible since I was close to yelling, "You had us all worried to death, thinkin' they were in Texas! Now you tell me that they're only 30 to 45 minutes away?! That just isn't right!"

He only smirked again at my outburst, "You're real cute when you're mad".

"Dally, you are definitely taking me with you tomorrow. I refuse not to see them. Besides, I wanna get out of the hell-hole that is school."

Dally got a confused look on his face, "Don't you like school? Aren't you good at it? That's why you were moved up a grade."

"I guess I have to tell you the truth now, don't I?", I sighed.

Dally cocked an eyebrow, "Tell me about what?"

I told him about the kids at school. The Socs telling me that it would be better if I was dead. As I talked, flames grew in his eyes.

"Oh, that is low", he muttered, "Even for them. Those sons of bitches."

"I know."

"Does anyone else in the gang know?"

"Only you and Soda."

"Well, I'm not gonna be the one tellin' 'em, so you better suck it up ,buttercup."

I rolled my eyes at his words, "So when should I be ready tomorrow?"

"Let's say about 6:30, just to be safe".

"Sounds like a plan."

We both walked back in the house. Dally walked straight through and out the other door while I started walking back to Soda and Pony's room. That was when I walked into something. No, let me rephrase that. That was when I walked into _someone_. That someone was Sodapop.

I had to look up to see his face. His eyes still didn't have their usual joy back yet.

"I heard everything", he said.

"Are you going to come with us too?"

"As much as I want to, I think it should just be you and Dally that go. I do need you to do something for me, though."

"And what might that be?"

"I'm gonna write a letter to Pony and when you see him tomorrow, I want you to give the letter to him. Ya dig?"

I nodded.

"When Darry notices that you're gone tomorrow, I'll just tell him that there was a slight emergency at your house. Nothing too bad. I'm not gonna say that anyone died or anything. Just something like your brother fell off his bike and sprained his wrist."

"Sounds good to me", I told him.

The next day, I woke up at 6 o'clock and quickly got ready. I pulled on some jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt with my Converse. I put my now-shorter hair in a ponytail and had just finished brushing my teeth when Dally walked quietly into the Curtis house, scaring the living crap out of me.

"Good God, Dally!", I whisper yelled, "You're gonna give me a heart attack. Also, you have impeccable timing. I just finished getting ready like 30 seconds ago."

He smirked, "It's what I do, doll."

"Nearly giving me a heart attack or having good timing?"

"Both."

"Gimme a second, Dally. I'll be right back", I told him, walking into Soda and Pony's room.

"Soda", I whispered, shaking him lightly, "Soda. I'm about to leave. Can you give me your letter?"

"Sure", he said in his sleepy state. He got up from his bed and walked over to Pony's desk. Opening a drawer, he pulled out what I had to assume was the letter and handed it to me before flopping back into bed.

"See you later, Soda", I said quietly, walking out the door.

"Mhm", Soda muttered.

"Okay", I said to Dally while stuffing the letter into my back pocket, "Let's go".

We walked outside into the cold morning and piled into Buck's T-bird.

"Buck let you borrow his car", I asked.

"Nope", Dally responded with a smirk.

"Then, how'd you… Oh", I drifted off before coming to the realization that Dally took the car without asking, which in all honesty, I probably should have been guessing. I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled myself in tight since I'd heard that when Dally drove, it was like a drag race.

We rode in silence for a while before I broke the ice.

"Dally?"

"Mhm?", he hummed in answer.

"Why'd you bring me? Don't get me wrong, I am so happy that you did, but why did you?"

"If you found out, and you probably would somehow, you would've beaten the tar outta me", he told me, smirked.

"I thought the infamous Dallas Winston wasn't afraid of anything", I joked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The first time I met you, you threatened me. Nobody in their right mind has ever done that to me. And then when you came over on Sunday and grabbed Darry. You gave off this…I dunno…This feeling that if anyone messed with you, there'd be hell to pay. Ya dig?"

"Well", I started, "I'm not in my right mind. To quote _Alice in Wonderland_ , 'We're all mad here'."

Dally smirked again, "Golly. I didn't realize just how similar you and Pony are until right now."

"What do you mean?"

"You're both such nerds".

"Gee, thanks, Dally", I rolled my eyes, "I'm really feelin' the love."

"It's weird, really. You look like Soda, but you're a girl version of Pony."

"Aren't you and your girlfriend similar?"

"Sylvia? Eh. She's a broad that can't make up her mind. One day she's all over me and the next she's off with some other hood while I'm in jail."

"Oh", I said, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I don't really care at this point. Anyway, I'm sure that you and Pony's love life is _much_ more interesting", he smiled cockily.

I blushed, "I don't really know what you mean…"

I could that Dally knew that he was making me uncomfortable.

"Y'know", he started, "Have y'all done anything yet?"

My eyes widened to the size of saucers and I could feel a wild blush on my face.

"No, no, no, no, no", I said so quickly that it all kind of sounded like one big word, "God, no! We're 14, Dally!"

"What should it matter? I did it when I was younger than y'all." His elfish features contorted into a look that I knew would drive many girls insane. I was not one of those girls.

"Dally!", I shrieked, "These are things that I don't need to know, nor do I want to know!"

"Golly, you're so innocent. It's funny seein' ya all embarrassed like this."

"Believe me", I assured him, "I'm not as innocent as I look. I haven't 'done anything' yet, but I can definitely make the occasional inappropriate joke when I'm with friends."

"Can you now?", he asked with a smug look on his face.

"Yes, I can, but I'm not going to right now."

"And why is that?"

"Because I have to be in the mood to make one and at the moment, I'm not necessarily in that kind of mood."

"Then how do I know that you're not as innocent as you look?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out, won't you? Besides, I think we're in Windrixville."

Windrixville was out in the country, where there were farms, tractors and fields. It felt very unfamiliar to home, where everywhere was paved and the people were driving cars (even if they were crappy cars) down the streets.

We drove through town and I sunk down in my seat a little to avoid strange looks. I was completely out of place here. The new scars on my face jumped out on my pale skin and made me look like I was a tough girl who fought all the time, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Dally was wearing a jean jacket and had a cigarette hanging from his lips as he drove the car with one hand.

Eventually, we made it through town without too many stares and made it to a hill.

"They're here?"

"Yup. Look up, doll", Dally responded.

I had to squint my eyes from the sun, but when I looked up, I saw an old chapel the was in shambles.

"Let's go", I encouraged, grabbing Dally's hand and yanking him up the hill, much to his surprise.

"Damn, your stronger than you look", he muttered.

"Thank you, Dally." Nothing could ruin my mood right now. Not even Dally's sarcastic comments. I was so close to Pony and Johnny and I missed them more than words could describe.

I could feel a smile tugging at my lips. One of the only real smiles that had been on my face since Pony and Johnny ran away.

Once we got to the tip of the hill, I took a deep breath and quietly walked into the church. It was old, rickety and full of cobwebs and dust.

Carefully peering in, I saw Johnny clear across the church on the back steps. His neck was bent down and his hair was shorter. That's when I looked into the corner of the church. On the hard, dusty floor, was Ponyboy. He was sleeping and his hair was different too. It was messily cut and had been bleached blond.

I stepped in, my footstep making an echo in the silent room. Johnny spun around wide-eyed, but when he saw that it was me, he jumped up smiling and ran over to me. Johnny gave me a bone-crushing hug.

"Good God", I said quietly, "Are y'all alright?"

"We're just fine, Lily", he answered. He pulled back and a small smile was playing on his lips. I had barely ever seen him smile before. His smile was contagious like Soda's, although not as broad.

He took a good look at me.

"Glory, Lily", he muttered, "What happened?"

I knew he was talking about my new injuries.

"I'll tell y'all later. Is Pony okay?" I looked over at his body still huddled in the corner.

"Yeah, he's fine. He just smoked 2 packs of Camels today on an empty stomach, so now he's sick."

I walked across the room to Ponyboy and knelt next to him.

"Pony", I whispered, "Hun, wake up."

His eyes started to flutter open. I had forgotten how much I loved his eyes. Pony's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he tried to blink away the sleep.

When he finally realized that it was me, his eyes got huge. He put his hand on my arm and pulled me up. Pony wrapped his arms around my waist and I wrapped mine around his neck and we gave each other the hardest hug that we could. Pony had lost weight while he'd been at the church. I could practically feel his ribs.

"Oh, Lily", he murmured in my ear, "Darlin', I missed you so much."

I started to cry and dug my head into his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair.

"God, Pony, I missed you too. I missed you so much."

He reeked of cigarette smoke, but I didn't care.

Pony pulled back to wipe away my tears, but stopped when he saw my face.

He took the pad of his thumb and lightly ran it along the scar on my forehead and the then the one on my lip.

"Darlin', what happened?", he asked softly.

"I'll tell you and Johnny later", I said.

Since we weren't hugging at the moment and I wanted to be, I jumped into his arms, making him stagger backwards.

I was still crying, but I started crying even harder now for some reason.

My chin was resting on his shoulder as he comforted me.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay."

I smiled a little at the pet name before taking my head off Pony's shoulder and touching our foreheads together.

"You have no idea how much I missed you. It's been the longest week of my life", I whispered.

"Me too, darlin'", he said before softly pressing his lips to mine. I missed this so much. Him holding me, kissing me, telling me everything would be alright.

That's when Dally decided to crash our party.

"Alright, lovebirds", he said to us, "We get it. You missed each other."

Pony put me down and looked at Dally.

"Golly, your hair sure does look different like that."

Pony then barraged him with questions, "How's Sodapop? Are the fuzz after us? Is Darry alright? Do the boys know where we are? What…"

Dally said that he'd answer all of Ponyboy's questions after we got something to eat. Since he didn't have breakfast he was "about starved".

"You think you're starved?", Johnny nearly squeaked.

Dally told Pony it was safe to go out and asked Johnny for a cigarette. Johnny simply tossed him a whole pack.

Dally asked if they'd been eating

"Yeah. What get you the idea we weren't?", Johnny answered.

"You're both pale and you've lost weight. After this, get out in the sun more. Y'all look like you've been through the mill."

That's when I remembered the letter.

"Pony, I have a letter for you", I said, reaching into my back pocket to take it out.

"A letter? Who from?", Pony asked, confused.

Dally was quick to whip out his sarcasm, "The President, of course, stupid. It's from Sodapop."

I handed him the letter and he read it through a few times.

After, we got back into the T-bird and started the drive to Dairy Queen. Johnny sat in the front with Dally and I sat in the back with Pony. Dally sped down the road doing 85 before taking a sharp turn that made the brakes screech, the car tilt dangerously on two wheels and Pony's body crash into mine, pushing me against the door.

When we got to Darir Queen, Pony and I got a Pepsi to share and I got a burger and a small sundae. Johnny and Ponyboy on the other hand, gorged themselves on burgers and sundaes like they would never see another meal again."

Dally and I looked at each other with confused expressions crossing our faces.

"Golly, hun", I said to Pony, "You're gonna get yourself sick to your stomach if you eat any faster."

"So what happened while we were away, darlin'?", Pony asked grabbing my hand.

I sighed, "You're talkin' about the scars aren't you?"

He nodded. "What happened?"

"On Sunday, I went over to your house. On the way there, some Socs started catcalling me, so I ran to the house. I gave Darry a piece of my mind and after that, some cops came to the door sayin' that y'all had killed someone. I passed out. About 11 or 12 hours later, I woke up. Me and Soda asked Darry if I could stay at the house until we found y'all and he said yes. So I went home to pack a bag with my stuff. On the way back the same Socs from earlier started trailing me again. They got outta their car and started following me. They figured out that I was your girlfriend and wanted to get revenge for Bob. They threw me to the ground and the leader sat on my gut, pinning me down. That's when the leader pulled out a blade and when I told him to get off, he cut open my shirt and sweatshirt. All the way open. Then he kissed me, but I bit his tongue and punched him in the jaw. He grabbed my hair and cut a good 7 inches off. I punched him again, breaking his nose. The other boys pulled out their blades too, then and… And…"

I had started crying at the part when they pinned me down, but now I was closer to sobbing. Pony pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me.

"Keep goin'", he encouraged.

"And the boys tried to cut off my pants and… Tried to rape me. I started screaming. The leader that was sittin' on me cut me on the forehead, although I don't remember that one. He cut open my lip and right under my bra. I just kept screaming. That's when the gang came. They beat up the Socs and got me to the house while I was having an anxiety attack. Soda and Darry stitched my lip and cleaned me up."

Even Dally hadn't heard the full story, so all three of them just stared at me with their mouths open and eyes wide.

"Oh, baby", Ponyboy whispered. He pulled me as close as he possibly could, squeezing me as I sobbed, my head in the crook of his neck from telling the story. I just wrapped my arms around his neck to make him keep holding me. I had forgotten how traumatic it was and at the moment, the only thing keeping me from falling apart was Ponyboy.

"This is all my fault", Pony murmured, "All my fault, darlin'. If I had just been there… If I hadn't run away… None of this would've happened to you."

"If I hadn't killed that Soc", Johnny whispered, "They wouldn't have wanted to hurt you. It's more my fault than Pony's."

I pulled my head out of Pony's neck.

"None of this is either your faults", I reassured them.

"Even if it wasn't, and I'm still havin' trouble believing that, we both feel terrible", Pony said.

I let out a small smile. "I don't blame y'all for this. It was out of your control."

Dally gave me a look that said "You have to tell them" mixed with pity. I knew what he wanted me to say.

"Also", I started, "There's somethin' else".

Pony gave me a concerned look. "What happened, darlin'?"

"I've been getting bullied at school."

"Doesn't that always happen?"

I sighed, "It's not the regular bullying that I usually get for being a Greaser. They're tellin' me I'm worthless. That I should do everybody a favor and just kill myself. They keep reminding me that you were an 'accomplice in a murder'."

Ponyboy's eyes filled with rage. "They're tellin' you what now?!"

"You heard me, hun".

"You are not worthless. Don't you ever believe that. Do you understand me, darlin'?"

I nodded, curling up into Pony's side.

"It's been all out warfare throughout town. Two-Bit got jumped. Greaser against Soc. The war council has called for a rumble tomorrow night", Dally informed the boys.

"They did?", I asked. This was new information to me.

Dally nodded.

"I'm goin'", I confirmed.

"You are sure as hell not going to that rumble, Lily", Pony said.

"I sure as hell _am_ going to that rumble, Ponyboy", I retorted, "When I see the Socs who jumped me, there'll be hell to pay and they'll be goin' down hard."

"I'm going too, then", Pony said, "I was probably going to go anyway, but now I'm definitely going".

"I've started carrying around a heater", Dally broke in.

"You kill people with heaters, Dal!", Johnny exclaimed.

"You kill 'em with blade too, don't you?", Dally asked. "And besides, it's not loaded. I'm just usin' it as a bluff. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We got ourselves a spy."

"A spy? Who?", Johnny asked.

"That redhead Soc broad. Cherry whats-her-name", Dally answered.

Johnny gagged and Pony almost dropped his sundae on his lap.

"Who's Cherry?", I asked, cautiously.

"Darlin', remember how the night I ran away, Dally, Johnnycakes, and I went to the drive-in?"

"Yes…?", I said kinda like a question, trying to see where Pony was going with this.

"Well, when we were there, we met these Soc girls named Marcia and Cherry. They're Randy Adderson and Bob Sheldon's girlfriends. Bob and Randy got drunk, so they were there by themselves. Dally flirted with Cherry until she threw a Coke in his face. That's when he heft. After he left, Johnny and I sat next to them and Two-Bit came. Me and Cherry talked. She's a cheerleader at our school. She seemed pretty nice. We were walking them home when Bob and Randy pulled up and tried to start a fight with us for being with their girls. That's when Cherry and Marcia left."

"So she's on our side now?", I asked.

"I guess", Pony said.

"She didn't try to hit on you or anything, right?", I questioned.

"No, she didn't. Even if she had, I would've just rejected her. And besides, she's 2 years older than us."

I felt relief wash over me.

"The day Two was jumped", Dally went on after Pony's explanation, "She told us that she felt like this whole thing was her fault, which it is, and she'd give us updates on the rumble and would testify that the Socs were drunk and you just fought in self-defense. She sure does hate me. I asked if she wants to go to the Dingo for a Coke and she told me 'No thank you' and told me where I could go in very polite terms."

Pony seemed deep in thought so instead of talking to him, I just continued to curl into his side and rest my head on his shoulder while his arm was tightly around my shoulders.

Dally started complaining about how boring the country was and asked us if we'd ever been in the country before.

Pony was the only one who had. His dad used to take him, Darry and Soda hunting.

"Hey, Ponyboy, I heard you were the best shot in he family", Dally said. This surprised me. It didn't seem like Pony would be good at firing a gun and hurting an innocent creature.

"Yeah. Darry always got the most ducks, though. Him and Dad", Pony said, "Soda and I goofed off too much, scared moth of the game away". That sounded more like him.

"We're going back and turning ourselves in", Johnny suddenly said.

Dally almost gagged and then let out a long line of cuss words.

"What?"

Johnny repeated himself.

"I gotta good chance of being let off easy I don't have a record with the fuzz and it was self-defense. Pony and Cherry can testify to that. And I am not going to spend the life in that church", Johnny said. Compared to the length of most of the words he uttered, he had just recited the Declaration of Independence.

Johnny also talked about not wanting to get Pony in trouble when he said some of the most heartbreaking word he could have said.

"I don't guess my parents are worried about me or anything?"

My heart almost shattered in two. After all the beating and yelling and abuse, Johnny still wanted his parents' love. He longed for it. And we all knew he'd never get it.

"The boys are worried. Two-Bit was gonna go to Texas to search for y'all", Dally told him.

"My parents. Did they ask about me?", Johnny repeated.

"No they didn't", Dally snapped, "Blast it, Johnny, what do they matter? Shoot, my old man don't give a hang whether I'm in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter. That don't bother me none".

Johnny just stared at the car's dashboard, hurt evident in his eyes. Pony and I just gave each other a look of pity for him.

Dally started to drive down the road. Clouds of dust puffed up from under the tires. I could've started crying for Johnny right there. Sure, he had the gang. They were all like brothers. They were like family. But nobody could ever replace real family. Nobody could ever replace a parent's love, no matter how hard they tried. That meant that Johnny was just walking around everyday with a hole in his heart. The whole would never shrink unless his parents showed that they loved him which we all knew would unfortunately never happen.

Johnny looked just as sad as I felt. Pony was looking out the window and I was looking at the boys in the front.

"Johnny", Dally pleaded, "I ain't mad at you. I just don't want you to get hurt. You don't know what a few months in jail can do to you. Oh, blast it, Johnny, you get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you. Like it happened to me."

Looking over at Pony with wide eyes, I saw his eyes get as bid and round as saucers too. Dally never talked about his feelings. He never talked about his past either. He was stone cold, inside and out. Nothing was ever going to change that, but for just a second, he let a sliver of himself come out into the open world.

"Would you rather have me living in hide-outs for the rest of my life?", Johnny asked.

Just then, we got to the top of Jay Mountain. Dally drove up it this time.

"Oh glory", I heard him whisper.

The church was on fire.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! School's been crazy and the past weekend was all family holiday stuff. Merry day-after Christmas, 3rd night of Hanukkah, Boxing Day, etc. I'll be updating more now that I'm on break. Once again, there'll be a lot of direct quotes taken from "The Outsiders" in this chapter. I love y'all and stay gold! -AthenaRavenclaw13**

"Oh God", I muttered, staring at the fiery church.

"Let's go see what the deal is", Pony said while managing to open the door and get out in about the same second.

"What for? Get back here before I beat your head in", Dally chastised from the car. By that point, Johnny and I were both following Pony with Dally directing some very colorful language at us.

Ponyboy went up to the closest adult, a fat, balding man, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's going on?"

"Well, we don't know for sure. We were having a school picnic up here and the first thing we knew, the place is burning up. Thank goodness this is a wet season and the old thing is worthless anyway", he informed us before calling at the kids to stay back.

"I bet we started it", I heard Pony tell Johnny quietly, "We must have dropped a lighted cigarette or something."

A lady came running up to the fat man, looking very disheveled, "Jerry, some of the kids are missing".

"They're probably around here somewhere. You can't tell with all the excitement where they might be".

""No. They've been missing for at least half and hour. I thought they were climbing the hill…", the woman trailed off.

We all froze. No movement at all. So quietly that you wouldn't have heard it if you weren't listening hard enough, there came a cry. It was coming from inside the church.

The woman almost crumpled to the ground and turned white as a sheet. She looked like she was about to go into hysterics, so Jerry grabbed her.

"I'll get them, don't worry!", Pony yelled, starting to sprint to the church. Jerry tried to stop him, but he just pulled away and kept running.

What the hell is he thinking?, I thought.

Johnny and I gave each other a look, then started off after Pony. Ponyboy chucked a large rock through a boarded up window instead of going through the door and pulled himself inside the church. The fat man had started running/waddling towards us. Johnny and I climbed through the window, me first then Johnny, before Jerry could get us.

It was like an inferno in there. If there was a Hell on Earth, this was it. Red and orange flames roared through the building, making heat that felt like it would melt your skin clear off your body. Smoke that was so grey, it was practically black made my lungs ache, my nose burn and made my eyes burn and water.

"Hey, Ponyboy", Johnny greeted once we got inside like it was just a day in the park.

Pony whipped his head around to look at us, "Is that guy coming?"

Johnny shook his head, "The window stopped him".

"Too scared?"

"No", Johnny said, cracking one of his rare grins, "Too fat".

I let out a quick laugh and immediately regretted it when smoke filled my lungs. Pony just smirked at Johnny, not wanting the same thing that happened to me to happen to him.

"Where's the kids?", Johnny shouted.

"In the back, I guess", Pony called back and we all stumbled and tripped through the church through the smoke, trying to find the kids.

Cinders and embers began raining down on us, making my skin sting. But right now pain wasn't my top priority. Getting those kids out was.

We shoved open the door to the back room where there were 4 or 5 kids, all sitting huddled up in a corner. They were all 8 or below, by the looks of them. One was screaming bloody murder.

"Shut up! We're gonna get you out!", Johnny yelled at him.

The kid, along with Pony and I were surprised. Pony and I gave each other a quick look. Johnny never acted this way. He looked over his shoulder to see the door engulfed in flames, opened the nearest window, and tossed the closest kid out of it. Pony and I looked at Johnny's face. It was tinted red from the fire's light and was streaked with sweat and marks from embers. But Johnny grinned at us. He wasn't scared either. Neither was Pony. Johnny looked like he was having the time of his life.

Pony picked up a kid who promptly bit him, but he just put him outside. I grabbed one too and tossed her out.

There was a crowd gathering by the window. Dally fought his way to the front.

"For Pete's sake, get outta there! Th roof's gonna cave any second. Forget the kids!", he yelled at us.

None of us payed Dally any mind. We just kept getting the kids out, even when pieces of timber fell only a few feet away from us, making me yelp.

Pony dropped another kid while coughing so hard, I though he was going to make himself sick. He still had Dally's jacket on. When we finally got threats of the kids out, the front of the church began to crumble. Johnny pushed me and Pony to the window.

"Get out!", he screamed.

Pony leaped out the window, the me, thinking that Johnny was right behind us. That's when the sound of falling timber, crashing wood and flames roaring violently filled my ears from the church. Ponyboy almost stumbled onto the ground. I heard a gut-wrenching scream that I knew was Johnny and I knew Pony heard it too because he turned to go back into the church. Just then, Dally ran up to Pony and clubbed him across the back. Pony fell to the ground, knocked-out, and I quickly stumbled over to him to try to get him up.

"Pony", I whispered hoarsely, my lungs and throat still aching and burning from the smoke. Then I too, fell unconscious to the ground next to him.

When I finally came too, I heard voices. More specifically, I heard Ponyboy. My eyes fluttered open and when I looked over I saw Pony talking the fat man, Jerry.

"Pony", I muttered, trying to get his attention, "Ponyboy. Hun".

He finally noticed me and sat up from his lying-down position, eyes wide. I did the same. I flung myself at him, wrapping him in a biggest hug I could muster.

I pulled away, holding his face while tears came to my eyes. It was then that I realized that I could've lost him. Tears streamed down my soot covered face, leaving trails.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis", I reprimanded him, looking directly into his eyes, "If you ever do something like that again, I…I…I don't know what I'll do, but it'll be bad."

Tears were coming to his eyes too, but he let out a quick laugh.

"God, darlin'. You really need to get better at insults".

"Where are we?", I asked nobody in specific.

"We're in an ambulance", Jerry explained.

"Where are Dally and Johnny?", I asked, panicked.

"It's okay. They're in the ambulance right behind us, baby", Pony comforted, rubbing my back. I realized that I was basically straddling him, so I slipped off his lap and sat next to him, intertwining our fingers.

"Are we okay?" I had forgotten that we were in the ambulance for us. I had also forgotten that either me or Pony could have been seriously injured. I felt alright, other than the smoke in my lungs. Nothing felt broken, at least,

"Dally's jacket saved me. I'm fine, just a little knocked up is all. How about you, do you feel alright?"

I nodded my head, "I feel fine. Nothing hurts."

"That's good", Jerry said, "And your name is Lily Smith, correct?"

I nodded, not even caring at this point how he knew my name.

The whole way to the hospital, Pony and I just held each other. We were both definitely spooked and we just needed each other right now.

When we got to the hospital, we were both officially checked over by the professionals. Pony had a few small burns and a big bruise across his back from when Dally hit him. I averted my eyes when they checked since I didn't really want to make him uncomfortable by me looking at him without a shirt. I also only had a few small burns that were on the backs of my hands and the back of my neck because I had my sweatshirt on. We saw Dally and Johnny get wheeled in on gurneys. Dally cracked a smile at the two of us and threatened to beat the tar out of us both if we ever pulled a stunt like that again. Johnny. Oh, Johnny. His entire body was burned except for his face which looked pale and sickly. I buried my head into Pony's shoulder when Johnny was wheeled by.

"Pony", I said, nudging him, "What do I say about the scars?"

I hadn't told my parents about me getting jumped. It had been a busy week.

Pony thought for a minute, "Just tell 'em that they're from the fire. It ought to seem believable."

"Good idea".

Jerry wouldn't stop thanking us for saving the kids. Apparently while I was still out cold, he had asked Pony if we were angels or professional heroes or something which made me laugh. Dallas Winston an angel? I don't think so.

Pony told him the whole story while we were waiting in the lobby starting when him, Johnny and Dally met to go to the movies that day. He obviously left out the parts about the gun and hitching a ride to Windrixville. Pony told me that the gun went off and was gone in the fire.

Pony somehow found a cigarette, flicked out his lighter and lit it. I was curled up in the seat adjoined to his, leaning against him while he had his arm around me.

The cancer stick was hanging from his lips when Jerry said, "You shouldn't be smoking".

Pony and I looked at each other and back at Jerry with strange expressions on our faces.

"How come?", Pony asked, looking around for a "No Smoking" sign.

Jerry looked kind of taken a-back, "Why, uh, you're too young".

"I am?", Pony asked.

Everyone smoked in our neighborhood. Kids usually started smoking around 10-12, even the girls. I didn't smoke, but that was just because I had never found appeal in it and my parents didn't either, so they drilled it into our heads when we were little not to smoke. The twins would probably start soon.

"There are some people here to see you. Claim to be your brothers or something", Jerry told Pony. We both leaped up and ran for the door where Sodapop had just stepped inside. We both ran at him and almost tackled him to the ground with a hug. Soda swung us both around before setting us on our feet and looking at Pony.

"Oh, Ponyboy, your hair…your tuff, tuff hair…", he muttered, pushing Pony's hair away from his face. I almost laughed at the fact that this is what Sodapop was concerned about at that moment.

Then we saw Darry. He was leaning in the doorway wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his eyes were pleading and sad like a lost puppy.

"Ponyboy…", he said in a strained voice.

Pony let go of Soda, just staring at Darry. I think we both realized at the same time that Darry was crying. Silent tears were streaming down his face as he looked at Pony helplessly. He looked down at his shoes and turned away. Pony seemed to snap out of his daydream.

"Darry", he screamed, throwing himself at his older brother and wrapping his arms around his waist so hard that I could see his biceps straining the skin of his arms.

Darry's body was being racked with sobs as he held Pony.

"Darry. I'm sorry", Pony almost whimpered.

"Oh, Pony, I thought we'd lost you… like we did Mom and Dad".

Soda and walked over to them and joined in on the hug. I stood a few feet away, a small grin ghosting my face as I watched the scene unfold.

Soda turned to me, tears running down his face, "Get over here, Lily. You're part of the family too".

A large grin spread across my face as I ran over and joined in. I was squeezed between Pony and Soda, one of my arms around each and once of each of their arms around me.

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and turned around to see my family.

"Mom! Dad!", I cried, flinging myself at them. I held onto my mom, burying my head into her neck and sobbing as we squeezed the living daylights out of each other. Then I hugged my dad, jumping up into his arms since he was about 6 feet tall and wrapping my arms around his neck. He set me down and kneeled down to my level.

"Never do something like that again. Please. We could've lost you, Lily", he said. He was crying which shocked me. I had never seem him cry before.

"I promise I won't, Dad. Don't worry, though. I'm fine. Johnny got the worst of it", I told him.

"Who?"

I remembered that they had never met the gang. "Our friend, Johnny Cade. He got burned pretty badly. Pony and I are fine. A few little burns here and there and some bruises, but we're fine". I decided that it would be best not to mention Dally for now.

"Lily, what happened to you?", Mom asked. _Oh yeah_ , I thought, _The scars._

"Um", I stuttered, "I fell while I was in the church getting the kids out. A few small stray pieces of wood scratched up my face. I'm fine, really". Luckily, the soot on my face hid the scars well because if there wasn't any soot, my parents would have been able to easily tell that the scars were not _that_ fresh.

Mom and Dad gave me slightly confused looks, but believed me. I'm usually a terrible liar, but I guess I was getting better.

That was when reporters and police officers started to flood into the waiting room. I was next to Pony the entire time, our fingers intertwined and every once in a while, we would rub our thumb against the other's knuckles to soothe each other. The questions and people were overwhelming us. I've never had claustrophobia, but I felt like I did in those moments. Darry finally told the people to back off and that we weren't in any shape to be yelled at which slowed them down. Darry can be pretty intimidating.

Sodapop kept everyone entertained. He grabbed a reporter's press hat and a cameraman's camera and walked around pretending to interview the other reporters and hospital staff. Then he tried to swipe a policeman's gun and just flashed his contagious Sodapop smile at the police officer. The officer smiled back. Ponyboy, being the egotistical teenager that he is, made sure to find some hair grease and slick his hair back before any pictures were taken. I simply washed the soot off my face and fixed my hair, one of the nurses giving me a hairbrush issued by the hospital to use. I quickly brushed out my hair and tied it into a ponytail, smoothing the top of my hair and keeping it smooth with a bobby pin.

"Golly, darlin'", Pony exclaimed, "You did that real fast."

"Pony, I've been doin' dance for 12 years. As a dancer, you have to learn how to get your hair up really quick. My hair decided to cooperate today, so it didn't take much time."

Pony just smirked at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. The reporters got plenty of pictures of us like that because we were "so cute together!". These pictures of us would be all over the newspapers in the stories about the fire because when there is a couple involved, the reporters suddenly become more interested. They got plenty of pictures of Darry and Soda too. Jerry said that if they weren't so good-looking, the reporters wouldn't have taken so many. He called it "public appeal" which was the same thing as the pictures of Pony and I.

The reporters were there for so long, that even Soda got tired of them. He lay his head on Darry's lap and fell asleep. We were all exhausted. One of the reporters turned to Pony on his way out of the waiting room and asked him, "What would you do right now if you could do anything you wanted?" Pony simply stared at him with a tired look in his eyes and said, "Take a bath". The reporters thought it was a funny answer, but he was being serious. I felt the same way as him. I felt gross and dirty and just plain crappy. The reporter turned on me, "And what about you, Miss Smith?" I was taken aback by the formalities, but quickly recovered. "Take a bath and sleep, although obviously not at the same time". The reporter chuckled at my joke and left. My family stayed away from all this.

The nurses kept refusing to tell us about Johnny and Dally's conditions saying that he would "only talk to the family". We finally got it through to hi that we were pretty much the only family they had. Dally was burned on one arm and would only have some scars. I knew Dally would be fine. He'd think the scars would make him look tuff. He would be here for 2-3 days.

Then there was Johnny. Johnny was in critical condition with a broken back from when the timber fell on him from the collapsing roof. He was in severe shock and most of his body was covered in third-degree burns. Since his back was broken, he was paralyzed from the waist down. He kept calling for the three of us in his delirious state. If he lived, he would be crippled for the rest of his life, imprisoned in his hell-hole of a house with his parents that either didn't give a damn about him or beat him senseless. If. I could tell that Pony and I were both extremely concerned about the use of that word. _If_ Johnny lived.

Pony was shaking like a leaf at the doctor's words and he looked like he was going to start crying. I was holding him, pulling his head into the crook of my neck. I was rubbing his back while Darry rubbed the back of his head. Soda had a stone-cold expression on his face and he was just sitting there.

Finally we had to go, even though we wanted to stay. Darry handed me the bag that I brought to their house with my stuff in it for when I was staying over which he brought with him. I gave Soda and Darry each a quick kiss on the cheek and gave Ponyboy a gentle kiss on the lips and a long hug. My arms around his neck and his around my waist, he put his chin on my shoulder and whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow, darlin'. Remember, there's the rumble. Come over to my house and we'll all go together. How does that sound, baby?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow, love", I murmured back.

I could feel him smile against the skin of my neck at my new nickname for him.

The ride home was quiet. The twins were staying at Ashlynn's house while Mom and Dad picked me up from the hospital. We pulled up to Ashlynn's house and I wanted to go in and say hi, but I was falling asleep in the car and I didn't have the energy nor the strength to go in and have a reasonable conversation.

"What happened to you?", Anna asked, sassily.

The corners of my mouth turned up in a smirk. "Well, I saved some kids from a burning building. How's your day been? Done anything exciting?", I said, being snarky.

"You're kidding, right?", Henry asked.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?", I questioned, my eyes still closed.

"I guess not", he said, "Are you okay?"

My heart melted a little at his unusual sweetness, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

The twins were quiet for my sake which I found incredibly endearing considering they were never this nice.

When I got home, the first thing I did was take a shower. I watched the black-stained water go down the drain and attempted to get the smell of smoke out of my hair. I put on my pajamas, brushed my teeth and hair and said goodnight to my family. It was only about 9 o'clock. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Yay! I can finally update more! We're almost at the rumble and y'all know what that means. I'm very excited to write that scene from Lily's perspective. Like the last few chapters, there will be quite a bit of the actual text from "The Outsiders" in this chapter. Just bare with it for now. After "you know what", the actual text will go down. All rights go to S.E Hinton. I love y'all and stay gold- AthenaRavenclaw13**

When I woke up the next morning, I stayed in bed for a while. It was the weekend so I was allowed to do that and even if it was a school day, my parents wouldn't have me go. I suddenly remembered that the rumble was today.

I rolled out of bed, ate breakfast and pulled on some older, more worn-in jeans, a black t-shirt, a sweatshirt that I tied around my waist, and my older pair of Converse which were in bad shape (hence why I got new ones at the beginning of the school year). I did my hair in a simple braid down my back and put a headband on to keep the smaller strands near my hairline out of my face. I brushed my teeth and put no makeup on. I didn't really feel like wearing any and it would be ruined anyway.

I walked down the stairs and my family looked at me for a few seconds.

"Where're you going?", my dad asked.

"Ponyboy's house", I answered simply.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here today and just rest?", my mom asked.

"Yep".

"Alright, just come home before curfew and be careful", Dad said.

"Yep. Bye! Love y'all!", I called running out the door.

 _No promises on coming home before curfew_ , I thought as I ran down the street.

I wasn't taking any chances today on getting jumped so I decided to run to Pony's house. It was only a few minutes away, anyway.

I slowed down and walked into the house. It was still fairly early, so I assumed people would still be asleep. My assumptions were proven correct. The house was eerily quiet. The only noise I heard was a single person walking around. I softly closed the door and walked through the house to find the source of the sound. To my surprise, I found my boyfriend walking around the kitchen, going from the icebox to the stove and back again.

"Hey, hon", I greeted, going up behind Pony and wrapping my arms around his waist while leaning my head against his shoulder blade.

He jumped a little, but quickly realized who I was.

"Hello, darlin'. How'd you sleep?", he asked turning around to face me and wrapping his arms around my waist as well.

"Well. How 'bout you?"

"Like a log. I was still wearing my jeans", he smirked.

"That's good. It's been a long week. You deserved a rest", I told him before leaning up and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

I started to get off of my toes and go back to standing on the floor flat-footed when Pony pulled me back up onto my toes and said, "Uh-uh. You aren't gettin' away from me that easily".

I moved my arms and wrapped them around his neck, "And just how're you plannin' to do that, love?"

"By doin' this", he answered with a cocky smirk. Pony practically picked me up and gave me a kiss. We were basically making out (but without the French-kissing) in the middle of the kitchen. After a few minutes, I pulled back, my face flushed. I was still on tip-toe and was running my hand through Pony's now un-greased hair.

"My hair looks like crap", he said.

"No, it doesn't. It looks fine. It'll look better greased back", I reassured him.

"You really think so?", Pony asked self-consciously.

"Mm-hmm. If anything, my hair looks worse."

"Your's is barely even noticeable. You always have it pulled back so no one will notice."

"If you say so, Pony", I sighed.

Just then we heard a yell from the front door, "Anybody home?"

It was Two-Bit. Oh dear.

Pony picked me up which made me squeal and put me on the kitchen counter. I sat there and watched him pull out some eggs while I swung my legs a little.

"In here!", Pony called, "Don't slam the door!"

Of course, Two-Bit slammed the door, making Pony and I both flinch.

Two-Bit ran into the kitchen, grabbed Pony and swung him around, the raw eggs still in Pony's hand.

"Hey, Ponyboy! Long time no see!", Two-Bit yelled.

Steve waltzed in, gave Pony a slap on the back (which once again made us both flinch since Pony still had the bruise on his back), and pushed him around the room.

This caused one of Pony's eggs to go flying and hit the clock. That caused Pony to get mad which caused him to clench his fist, therefore crushing the other egg.

"Now look what you did! There went out breakfast. Can't you two wait till I set the eggs down before shovin' me all over the country?", Pony complained, making me laugh.

Ponyboy gave me an evil smirk, making me shut up.

Two-Bit started circling Pony like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Pony and I both knew what was coming.

"Man, dig baldy here! I wouldn't have believed it. I thought all the wild Indians in Oklahoma had been tamed. What little squaw's got that tuff-lookin' mop of your's, Ponyboy?"

"Aw, lay off", Pony whined.

"It's alright, Pony. Remember, I like you either way", I said, hopping off the counter and giving Pony a quick peck on the lips.

"Why, he had to get a haircut to get his picture in the paper. They'd never believe a greasy lookin' mug could be a hero. How do y'all like bein' heroes?", Steve said.

"What?", Pony and I asked in unison.

"Being heroes. Big shots", Steve repeated as he shoved the morning papers at us.

The headline read "JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES".

"What I like is the 'turn' bit. Y'all were heroes from the beginning. You didn't just 'turn' all of a sudden", Two-Bit said while cleaning up the egg on the floor.

Pony and I were too engrossed in the paper to really listen to him, though. The story talked about everything- Pony and Johnny fighting with the Socs, Johnny killing Bob, the church, the Socs being drunk, etc. We all had pictures in the paper, including Darry and Soda. The article talked about how Johnny, Pony, and I had risked our lives to saving those kids. There were comments from parents, praising us and the whole story of the fight with the Socs. Although, the paper didn't refer to them as "Socs" since adults don't recognize the term. They interviewed some Socs including this Cherry Valence girl that Pony told me about. It talked about Johnny and if he survived, he would be charged with manslaughter. Pony and Johnny would both be going to court for running away. There was a section talking about Darry, Soda, and Pony. It said that they shouldn't be separated after they'd worked so hard to stay together.

Pony's eyes widened at that last line, "You mean that they're thinking about putting me and Soda in a boys' home or something?"

"Somethin' like that", Steve responded, combing his hair back.

"No, they ain't goin' to put us in a boys' home", Pony stated.

"Don't worry about it. They don't do things like that to heroes. Where're Soda and Superman?"

At that moment, Darry (who had somehow managed to get shaved and dressed without any of us noticing) walked in, picked up Steve like he was a rag doll, and dropped him back on the floor out of his way.

Then Soda came running in without a shirt or pants on. I blushed and shielded my eyes, embarrassed. When I was staying over an especially when we were sleeping in the same bed, Soda always made sure to wear pajama pants and a shirt. But I guess he wasn't expecting me.

"Where's that blue shirt I washed yesterday", he asked, taking a swig of chocolate milk out of the carton.

"Soda", I chastised.

"Hate to tell you, buddy, but you have to wear clothes to work. There's a law or something", Steve said, still sprawled out on the floor.

"Oh, yeah", Soda said, just seeming to come to the realization that he didn't have any clothes on, "Sorry, doll. Where're those jeans too?"

"It's okay", I said, "Nothin' I haven't seen before".

The gang all gave me weird looks.

"My brother", I clarified, "He's ten. Doesn't seem to know when to put clothes on. He just walked around the house in his underpants. Even when the blinds are open."

Darry smirked before telling Soda the location of his dearly needed jeans and reminding him to hurry up.

Soda left and Steve quickly followed. Moments later, there was the racket of a pillow fight.

Pony wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I wrapped mine around his waist.

"Darry, did you know about the juvenile court?", he asked as Darry searched through the icebox for some chocolate cake.

"Yeah, the cops told me last night".

"I had one of those dreams last night. The one I can't ever remember", Pony blurted out.

"What?!", Darry yelped, fear evident on his face.

"Oh, honey", I comforted, looking up at Ponyboy's face.

"Was it very bad?", Two-Bit asked.

"No", Pony said and even though he was an expert liar, I could see right through him.

Darry started to talk, but Soda and Steve came barging in.

"You know what?", Soda said to no one in particular, "When we stomp the Socies good, me and Steve are gonna throw a big party and everybody can get stoned. Then we'll go chase the Socs clear to Mexico."

"Where you gonna get the dough, little man?", Darry asked while handing out pieces of the recovered cake.

"Yeah. And Pony and I won't be drinkin'", I reminded him.

"I'll think of somethin'", I assured us.

"You going to take Sandy to the party?", Pony asked. We all shut up. "What's the deal?"

 _Oh no_ , I thought. Soda had told me what happened when I was staying over. It was part of the reason he refused to come out of his and Pony's room. Sandy, who he had planned on marrying, had cheated on him and gotten pregnant with the other guy's baby. It had infuriated me. Soda was one of the sweetest people you would ever meet and to break his heart like that, especially while he was that sick with worry about Pony and Johnny, was just cruel and heartless.

Soda stared at the floor, his ears getting red just like Pony's do when he gets embarrassed, "No. She went to live with her grandmother in Florida".

"How come?", Pony asked, ever curious.

"Look, does he have to draw you a picture? It was either that or get married, and her parents almost hit the roof at the idea of her marryin' a sixteen-year-old kid", Steve burst out.

I glared at him with a look that would've left Darry weak in the knees.

"Seventeen. I'll be seventeen in a couple of weeks", Sodapop muttered.

"Oh", Pony said, embarrassed.

"I'll tell you later", I whispered to him and he gave me a curt nod in response.

Darry broke the silence that followed by saying, "We'd better get to work, Pepsi-Cola." Then he looked at Pony, "I hate to leave you here by yourself, Ponyboy. Maybe I ought to take the day off."

"I've stayed by my lonesome before. You can't afford a day off."

"Yeah, but you just got back and I really ought to stay…", Darry trailed off.

"I'll babysit him", Two-Bit suggested as Pony used the had that wasn't wrapped around my shoulders to swing at him, "I haven't got anything better to do."

"Why don't you get a job. Ever consider working for a living?", Steve remarked.

"Work?", Two-Bit seemed offended by even the idea, "And ruin my rep? I wouldn't be babysittin' the kid here if I knew of some good day-nursery open on Saturdays".

Pony released himself from me, pulled Two-Bit's chair back and jumped on him. Two-Bit had him down in a millisecond.

While they were wrestling on the floor, reassured Darry, "Don't worry. I'll be with them too."

"God", he smirked, "I trust you more than Two by a landslide."

"Holler uncle", I heard Two-Bit declare.

"No", Pony retorted, struggling to get out of Two-Bit's grasp.

"Do up the dishes. You can go to the movies if you want before you go see Dally and Johnny", Darry said as he pulled on his jacket. He paused for a second, just seeming to realizes how compromising of a situation his youngest brother was in, "Two-Bit, lay off. He ain't lookin' too hot. Pony, take a couple of aspirins and if you smoke more than a pack a day, I'll skin you. Understand?"

"Yeah", Pony said as I helped him to his feet, "You carry more than one bundle of roofing at a time and me and Soda'll skin you. Understand?"

Darry cracked a grin, "Yeah. See y'all this afternoon."

They left with the engine of Darry's truck getting cranked and we all knew that Sodapop was driving.

Two-bit sat on the counter as Pony and I washed the dishes and told a story of one of his many adventures. He was talking about getting held up by these guys in an alley. I wasn't really listening until the end.

"Moral: What's the safest thing to be when one is met by a gang of social outcasts in an alley?", he asked.

"A judo expert?", Pony suggested. I started laughing at that one.

"No, another social outcast", Two-Bit exclaimed, laughing so hard he almost fell off the counter. Pony cracked a grin at his response, but frankly, I found his response much funnier.

Pony said that we should clean up the house just incase the state, police, reporters, etc decided to pay a visit, so that's what we did with much complaining on Two-Bit's part.

When we finished about an hour and a half later, we went on our way to the hospital.

"I would drive us, but the brakes are out on my car. I almost killed me and Kathy the other night", Two-Bit explained, using the collar of his leather jacket as a windbreaker so he could light a cigarette, "You oughtta see Kathy's brother. Now there's a hood. He's so greasy he glides when he walked. He goes to the barber for an oil change, not a haircut".

I snickered at that one, but Pony simply cracked a grin.

"You okay, hon?", I asked him. Pony looked pale, yet his cheeks were flushed.

"Mm-hmm", he hummed in response.

I stopped walking down the street for a second, "Pony lean down", I ordered.

He bent down at the knees and I put the back of my hand to his forehead.

"Pony, you're burnin' up!", I exclaimed.

He flinched at my voice.

"Sorry, honey. Do you have a headache?"

He nodded.

"You're hot, Pony."

"Why, thank you, darlin", Pony joked.

I rolled my eyes, "You know what I mean."

"Well, aren't your hands always cold?", he asked, "Maybe they're just colder than usual today which makes me feel warmer in comparison."

"It's awful sweet that you remember that about me, Pony, but I really think you're sick."

"Promise not to tell Darry, okay? I am fighting in that rumble tonight, sick or not."

I sighed, "Fine, but right when we get back to your house, you're resting and taking aspirin."

"Sounds like a plan, baby", he said, leaning down for a kiss. I gave him a quick peck on the lips, not wanting to get sick myself.

"Hey, lovebirds!", Two-Bit called from a good hundred yards down the street, "What's the holdup?"

I grabbed Pony's hand and walked over to him, "Oh, nothin'. Just asking Pony a quick question."

Two-Bit looked a little skeptical, but just shrugged and kept walking.

We stopped off at the Tasty Freeze that was nearby and I hoped that a cold drink would help Pony's headache or maybe get his fever down a little.

When we got there, the blue Mustang that had been trailing the three of us for about 8 blocks pulled in. Pony got a little jumpy when he saw it and I could tell he wanted to high-tail it out of there. I grabbed his hand in a reassuring manner, intertwining our fingers and rubbing my thumb over his knuckles.

"I'm right here, honey", I reminded him, "I'm not going anywhere. If they want you, they'll have to get through me and Two-Bit first."

Two-Bit tossed Ponyboy a cigarette. Pony put it in his mouth and held it between his teeth as he used his free hand to flick open his lighter and light the cigarette.

The Socs got out of their car and from the expression on Pony's face and the fact that they didn't look familiar to me, I knew they were the ones that jumped Pony and Johnny that night at the park.

Two-Bit went to Pony's other side and put his elbow on Pony's shoulder, "You know the rules. No jazz before the rumble".

"We know", one of the Socs said, looking at Ponyboy, "Come here. I want to talk to you".

Pony looked at Two-Bit who shrugged, then looked at me.

"Do you want me to come with you?", I asked softly.

He slowly nodded in response and squeezed my hand tighter when we walked over to the car.

"Who is this guy?", I questioned.

"His name's Randy. He was friend with Bob. He was there that night."

We all sat in the Mustang in silence for a minute or so.

"I read about y'all in the paper. How come?", Randy asked, breaking the ice.

"I don't know. Maybe I felt like playing hero", Pony responded.

"I wouldn't have. I would have let those kids burn to death".

"No. Anyone with morals would've helped 'em", I said.

"You might not have", Pony added, "You might have done the same thing."

Randy pulled out a cigarette and used something form the car to light it. I had no idea what the "thing" was though.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I would never have believed a greaser could pull something like that", he said.

"Our social class had nothing to do with us saving those kids", I told Randy.

"My buddy over there wouldn't have done it", Pony said, gesturing to Two-Bit, "Maybe you would've done the same thing, maybe a friend of your's wouldn't have. It's the individual".

"I'm not going to show at the rumble tonight", Randy confessed, "i'm sick of all this. Sick and tired. Bob was a good guy. He was the best buddy a guy ever had. I mean, he was a good fighter and tuff and everything, but he was a real person too. Ya dig?"

Pony and I nodded.

Randy proceeded to tell us how Bob's mother had a nervous breakdown when she found out about her son's death. How his parents spoiled his beyond belief. How all Bob ever really wanted and needed was for someone to tell him "No". His parents always blamed themselves for Bob's problems. They'd always thought whatever he did wrong was their fault.

"That kid-your buddy, the one that got burned-he might die?", Randy asked.

"Yeah", Pony said solemnly.

"And tonight…people get hurt in rumbles, maybe killed. I'm sick of it because it doesn't do any good. You can't win, you know that don't you? You can't win, even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before-at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing. It doesn't prove a thing. We'll forget it if you win, or if you don't. Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it's the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs", Randy said before taking a deep breath, "So I'd fight if I thought it'd do any good. I think I'm going to leave town. Take my little old Mustang and all the dough I can carry and get out."

"Running away won't help", Pony reminded him.

"Oh, hell, I know it, but what can I do? I'm marked chicken if I punk out at the rumble, and I'd hate myself if I didn't. I don't know what to do", Randy exclaimed.

"I'd help you if I could", Pony told him.

"So would I", I volunteered.

Randy gave Pony a look, "No you wouldn't. I'm a Soc. You get a little money and the whole world hates you".

"No", Pony said, "You hat the whole world".

 _When did Ponyboy get so philosophical?_ , I thought.

"You would've saved those kids if you were there. You'd have saved them the same as we did", Pony assured Randy.

"Thanks greasers", Randy said, "I didn't men that. I meant, thanks, y'all."

"My name's Ponyboy", he said.

"And I'm Lily".

"Nice talkin' to you, Randy", Pony told him.

We got out of the Mustang and walked over to Two-Bit.

"What'd he want? what did Mr. Super-Soc have to say?", Two asked.

"He ain't a Soc", Pony told Two-Bit, "He's just a guy."

"He just wanted to talk", I said.

"Y'all want to go to a movie before we see Johnny and Dally?", Two-Bit suggested.

"Nope", Pony and I said at the same time.

Pony was lighting another cigarette and the way he shielded the sun from his eyes, I could tell that he still didn't feel very good.

When we got to the hospital, the nurses refused our pleas to see Johnny. He was in critical condition and apparently wasn't allowed visitors. When the doctor heard what was going on, he walked over and told the nurses to let us see him.

"Let them go. He's been asking for them. It can't hurt now", the doctor told them. I could tell from the doctor's tone of voice that Johnny was on death's doorstep. It made my knees feel like jelly and made me want to just curl up in a ball and cry.

Johnny's eyes were closed when we walked in. That is until he heard Two-Bit's voice, which was surprisingly kind of soft.

"Hey, y'all", Johnny greeted quietly.

The nurse who was in the room pulling the shades open looked over, "So he can speak after all".

"They treatin' you okay, kid", Two-Bit asked.

"They don't let let me put enough grease in my hair", Johnny gasped.

I laughed at Johnny's statement. He's paralyzed from the waist down and is covered in third-degree burns and his main concern is hair grease?

"Hey, we're havin' a rumble tonight", I told him.

Johnny remained silent.

"It's too bad you and Dally can't be in it. It's the first big rumble we've had since we whipped the Shepard outfit", Two-Bit said, pulling up a chair.

"He came by", Johnny said.

"Who?", I asked.

"Tim Shepard?", Two asked.

Johnny nodded ever-so slightly, "Came to see Dally".

"We got our names in the paper for bring heroes", I told Johnny.

"Tuff enough", Johnny answered with a small grin.

"You need anything besides hair grease, buddy?", Two-Bit asked.

Johnny nodded a little.

"The book", he turned his head a little to look at Pony, "Can you get a new one?"

Two-Bit and I looked at him confusedly.

"He wants a copy of 'Gone with the Wind', Pony clarified, "Two, can you run down to the drugstore and get one?"

"Alrighty. Don't y'all run off".

Ponyboy and I both tried to squeeze into Two-Bit's chair since it was the only chair in the room, but eventually we just gave up. Pony sat on the chair and pulled me down onto his lap which made me blush a little. I lay my head on his shoulder and Pony put his arm around my shoulders. He grabbed my hand with his free one.

He told Johnny that he and Darry were okay now, but suddenly Johnny went pale and grimaced.

"Johnny! Are you okay?", Pony exclaimed.

"Yeah", Johnny winced while talking, "It just hurts sometimes. Not usually, though, since I can't feel anything below the middle of my back".

Johnny's face started to relax and he lay panting for a minute, "I'm pretty bad off, ain't I?"

"You'll be fine", I tried to assure him.

"Yeah. You'll be okay. You gotta be We can't get along without you", Pony tried.

"I won't be able to walk again. Not even on crutches. Busted my back".

"You'll be okay", Pony repeated. I could tell he was trying not to cry. I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles.

"Y'all want to know something? I'm scared stiff. I used to talk about killing myself…", Johnny drew in a shaky breath and I knew that he wanted to cry too, "I don't want to die now. It ain't long enough. Sixteen years ain't long enough. I wouldn't mind it if there wan't so much stuff I ain't done yet-and so many things I ain't seen. It's not fair. You know what? When we were in Windrixville was the only time I've been away from our neighborhood."

"You ain't gonna die", Pony said, his voice starting to crack, "And don't get all juiced up, because the doc won't let us see you no more if you do".

Silent tears were rolling down my cheeks as I dug my head into Pony's shoulder and his hand moved from my shoulder to my back, rubbing small circles.

Johnny was resting quietly, making sure he didn't get too excited and blow his top.

One of the nurses came to the doorway, "Johnny, your mother's here to see you".

 _Oh no_ , I thought, _This isn't going to go well._

Johnny opened his eyes and they darkened from a dark brown, kind of like mine, to black as tar. "I don't want to see her", he stated firmly.

"She's your mother", the nurse said, surprised.

Oh, if only she knew.

Johnny was getting mad. "I said I don't want to see her", he said, his voice rising closer and closer to a yell, "She's probably come to tell me about all the trouble I'm causing her and about how glad her and the old man'll be when I'm dead. Well, tell her to leave me alone. For once", his voice cracked much like Pony's had, "For once just to leave me alone".

He had been trying to sit up, but he suddenly gasped, went white as a ghost and went unconscious, falling back onto his bed.

The nurse practically shoved us out the door, "I was afraid of something like this if he saw anyone".

"It's not out fault!", I wanted to scream at her, "Blame his parents! All of this is their fault!", followed by a procession of cuss words.

While we were coming out, Two-Bit was coming in.

"You can't see him now", the nurse told him.

Two-Bit handed her the book, "Make sure he can see it when he comes around."

The nurse took it and hurriedly closed the door behind her.

"I wish it was any one of us except Johnny", he said, "We could get along without anyone but Johnny. Let's go see Dally".

As we were walking down the hall, I saw a woman that I could only assume was Johnny's mother arguing with one of the nurses, "But I have a right to see him. He's my son. After all the trouble his father and I have gone through to raise him, this is our reward. He'd rather see those no-count hoodlums than his own folks", she paused and gave us a glare, "it was your fault. Always running around in the middle of the night getting jailed and heaven knows what else…".

How dare she. How dare she act like she and her husband actually cared for Johnny. How dare she say that they went through "trouble" to raise him. How dare she say that all of this was our fault.

Two-Bit looked like he was going to start a fight with her, "No wonder he hates your guts", he snapped.

Pony looked concerned at what I would do. I very simply walked up to Johnny's mother and gave her the nastiest look I could muster. If looks could kill, she'd be way farther down than 6 feet under.

"You don't deserve to be a mother", I said venomously, "If you and your husband actually gave a damn about your child then maybe he wouldn't be in the hospital fighting for his life. So don't you even think about blaming us for this because this is all on you. I would say and do worse to you, but unlike you and your husband, I am actually a good human being who has morals".

I abruptly turned on my heel and walked back to Pony and Two-Bit who both had their jaws on the floor, "Let's go".

I led the way to the elevator with Pony shoving Two-Bit along behind me.

"Oh, lordy", I heard Two-Bit mutter, "He has to live with that".


	17. Chapter 17

**Yay! Another chapter! I saw a comment recently saying that the user in question is sad that the story is ending so soon. I have some good news for y'all: the story's not even close to being done. I'm going to expand upon the story. It will go on for a long time after the actual book "The Outsiders" ends. Once again, there'll be quite a lot of actual lines from the book in this chapter as well. All rights go to S.E Hinton. I love y'all and stay gold! -AthenaRavelclaw13**

When we walked into Dally's room we found exactly what we were expecting. He was arguing with a nurse.

"Man, am I glad to see you! These…", he paused trying to think of a suitable word, "…hospital people won't let me smoke, and I want out".

I snorted a little in laughter.

Once again there weren't enough chairs in the hospital room (why do they never seem to have enough of those in hospital rooms), so once again I sat on Pony's lap.

"I can get off if you want me to", I quietly told Pony, "Or if I'm too heavy".

"You're fine. If you're comfortable, I'm comfortable", he said.

"You're too sweet, you know that?", I asked, leaning in and giving him a kiss.

Dally wolf-whistled, "Ooooo! Pony's gettin' some!"

Ponyboy and I pulled away, blushing and I rolled my eyes, "Really, Dally? C'mon."

He put his hands up in a kind of surrender motion, "I'm just sayin'!"

"Shepard came by to see me a little while ago", Dally said, changing the subject.

"That's what Johnny said", I told him, "What'd he want?"

"Said he saw my picture in the paper and couldn't believe it didn't have 'Wanted Dead or Alive' under it. He mostly came to rub it in about the rumble. Man, I hate not bein' in that".

Then he looked at Pony, "Kid, you scared the devil outta me the other day. I thought I'd killed you".

"Me? Why?", Pony asked, confused.

"When you jumped out of the church. I meant to hit you just hard enough to knock you down and put out the fire, but when you dropped like a ton of leadI thought I'd aimed too high and broke your neck", he thought for a minute, "I'm glad I didn't, though".

"I'll bet", Pony remarked with a smirk.

"Why'd you have to think about it?", I asked, laughing.

"I dunno. Although, I do know that you and Darry would've both been on my case about it. And, frankly, I think if I were to be more scared of either of y'all, it would be you".

"Dallas Winston? Scared of lil ol' me? Pony catch me, I must be dreaming" , I asked, feigning shock before promptly and dramatically pretending to swoon into Pony's arms.

They all laughed at my theatrics.

"Uh, how's the kid?", Dally asked while looking out the window, turning the mood more serious.

"We just left him", Two-Bit said and I could tell he was internally debating about whether or not to tell Dally the truth, "I don't know much about stuff like this…but..well, he seemed pretty bad off to me. He passed out cold before we left him".

"It was because of his mother", I murmured.

"Hmm?", Dally asked, leaning closer to hear me better, "What'd ya say, doll?"

"His mother wanted to see him. When the nurse told him, he got himself all worked up and passed out", I said louder, "We saw her on the way here. She blamed us for all Johnny's problems. Two gave her a piece of his mind, though".

"Are you kidding?!", Two-Bit exclaimed, "I did nothing compared to what Lily over here did. Dal, you should've seen her! She looked like she was gonna blow her top! But then she goes over to the she-wolf, calm as anything else and gives her the meanest look you've ever seen. It wouldda made _you_ run for the hills, Dally. Then she gave 'er what for. It was incredible!"

I blushed at Two-Bit's praises and looked over at Dally.

He looked impressed at my actions, but thought of the fact that Johnny wasn't doing too well and swore between clenched teeth.

"Two, you still got that fancy black-handled switch?"

"Yeah".

"Give it here".

He reached into his pocket and gave the blade to Dally. Pony told me about Two-Bit's switchblade. It was his prize possession that he had stolen from a hardware store. Two had walked around aimlessly for 2 hours, to divert suspicion. He never actually used it for its intended purpose, he just used it as a showpiece. If he ran into any new hood, he'd show it off and used it as a bluff when confronted by Socs. He used a pocketknife for a blade if needed.

"We gotta win that fight tonight", Dally said with a cold voice to compare to his blazing eyes, "We gotta get even with the Socs. For Johnny". And with that, he put the blade under his pillow and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. We all knew better than to mess with him, so we all left.

We decided to take a bus home because none of us felt like walking. Pony and I sat at the bench at the bus stop while Two-Bit went to buy (he probably meant steal) a pack of cigarettes. Pony was kind of leaning on me, his head on my shoulder while I rubbed his back. I could tell he didn't feel any better. If anything, he seemed worse.

In his sickly state, Pony didn't see Two-Bit come back and put his hand on his forehead. He had his eyes closed, but he almost jumped a foot in the air at the sudden contact.

"You feel okay? You're awful hot", Two asked with a worried expression.

Luckily, Pony chose not to flirt with Two-Bit like he did with me earlier when I said that he was hot. "I'm all right", he defended and when two looked like he didn't believe a word Pony was saying, Pony went to his backup plan: pleading. After convincing Two-Bit that he would take some medicine and be better in time for the rumble, Two backed off.

"You know somethin'?", Two-Bit asked while we were on the bus, "You think you could get away with murder, living with your big brother and all, but Darry's stricter with you than your folks were, ain't he?"

"Yeah", Pony replied, his head back on my shoulder, "But they'd raised two boys before me. Darry hasn't".

"You know, the only thing that keeps Darry from bein' a Soc is us", Two said.

"I know", Pony replied.

I had never thought about it before, but now that I did, I knew that it was true. Darry never went to jail (as far as I know) and never committed any serious crimes. He did well in school and had a football scholarship to college. The only thing that kept him on the East side was his family. The gang.

We were silent for a while and I thought that Pony had fallen asleep on my shoulder, but then he spoke, "Tonight-I don't like it one bit".

Two-Bit took this as his chance to try and rile Pony up, "I never knew you too play chicken at a rumble before. Not even when you were a little kid".

Pony started to get a little agitated at Two calling him a "chicken", "I ain't chicken, Two-Bit Matthews, and you know it. Ain't I a Curtis, same as Sodapop and Darry? I mean I got an awful feeling something's gonna happen".

"Sometin' is gonna happen. We're gonna stomp the Socs' guts, that's what", Two replied.

"It's okay, honey", I assured him, "I got the same feelin'".

When we were walking back the Curtis house, we walked past the vacant lot and I saw a fancy car. I mainly knew Mustangs and Corvairs since those were the main ones Greasers had to look out for, but this was definitely a Soc's car.

Pony and Two-Bit walked up to the car and I did too, albeit more hesitantly. Pony gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Sitting in the car was a pretty Soc girl. She had long red hair that was pinned up. I had always wanted red hair. It was so unique. She had pretty green eyes too. Something I also wished I had.

"Hi, Ponyboy. Hi, Two-Bit", she greeted. I somehow knew that this was that Cherry Valence girl.

She looked at me, "And who are you?" She seemed nice enough.

"I'm Lily Smith. Pony's girlfriend", I said, holding out my free hand for her to shake, which she did. Most Socs wouldn't even think about shaking a Greaser's head, so it was a good sign.

"Nice to meet you", Cherry said with a smile.

Two-Bit stared warily at us during the introductions. Dally had told us yesterday before the fire that she had been a spy for them. I guess Two was there when they were talking about court or the rumble or whatever else they had been talking about.

"What's up with the big times?", he asked.

Cherry fiddled with her jacket while I played with my necklace (which thankfully hadn't been damaged in the fire), "They play your way. No weapons, fair deal. Your rules."

"You sure?"

Cherry nodded, "Randy told me. He knows for sure".

"Thanks, Cherry", Two-Bit said before turning and walking back to the Curtis house. Pony and I started after him until Cherry spoke.

"Ponyboy, stay a minute. You can too, Lily, if you want."

We walked back to he car.

"Randy's not going to show up at the rumble".

"Yeah. We know", Pony said.

"He's not scared. He's just sick of fighting. Bob…Bob was his best buddy. Since grade school".

There was silence for a minute.

"How's Johnny?", she asked.

"Not so good. Will you go up to see him?", Pony questioned.

Cherry shook her head, her flyaway curls bouncing, "No. I couldn't".

"Why not?", I asked. Then I remembered that it was her boyfriend who Johnny killed.

"I couldn't", she said quietly before telling us why. She knew that Bob deserved it. He was drunk and looking for trouble. To her, Bob was something special. He was different. I sympathized with her a little. I felt the same way about Ponyboy.

Pony stopped for a second before speaking, "That's okay", he said coldly. Oh no, I thought. I did not, under any circumstances, want to see Pony get mad and I could tell that he was about to. "I wouldn't want you to see him. You're a traitor to your own kind and not loyal to us. Do you think spying for us makes up for the fact that you're sitting here in your Corvette while my brother drops out of school to get a job? Don't you ever feel sorry for us. Don't you ever try to give us handouts and than feel high and mighty about it."

My jaw dropped. I never thought I would hear anything like that come out of my boyfriend's mouth. He started to walk off, dragging me behind him. Then he stopped and turned around and so did I. Cherry looked like she was about to cry. Ponyboy's face softened.

"I wasn't trying to give me charity, Ponyboy. I only wanted to help. I liked you from the start… the way you talked. You're a nice kid, Ponyboy. Your girlfriend seems like one too. Do you realize how scarce nice kids are nowadays? Wouldn't you try to help me if you could?"

I got scared that she was trying to make a move at the "I liked you from the start" part, but felt immediate relief when she called Pony a kid. He could definitely leave me for her. But I trusted that he wouldn't.

"Hey", Pony said suddenly, "Can you see the sunset real goo from the West side?"

I was beyond confused.

"Real good", Cherry responded with a small smile which made me even more confused.

Was there an inside thing that I wasn't part of?

"You can see it real good from the East side too", Pony murmured.

I decided to let my feelings for whatever this inside thing was go away.

"Thanks, Ponyboy. You dig okay", she said, smiling through her tears.

I let Pony start walking back to his house and then I gave her a quick hug, which startled her a bit. She hugged back though.

"I'm sorry about him, Cherry. He's got a lot on his plate right now".

"It's okay. It happens", she said, "Besides, he has the you and the gang."

"Bye, Cherry."

"Goodbye, Lily."

I ran to catch up with Pony.

We got home at 6:30 and the rumble was scheduled for 7 o'clock. We were late for dinner too. There was chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. Almost the same meal I had when I met the gang for the first time and Pony and I got together.

Pony barely ate anything, but he did take 5 aspirins.

"What are you doing?!", I whisper shouted at him, "You're only supposed to take about three at the most".

"It's okay, darlin'. I do this all the time. Just don't tell Soda or Darry or they'll throw a fit."

"If you say so", I leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips. He hurried in to the bathroom to take a shower and change his clothes. I guess him, Soda and Darry always mad themselves up a little for a rumble just to show the Socs that they could be just was good as them. I simply sat on the couch, watching the chaos unfold.

After he was dressed, the bathroom door was opened and he called out to Soda, "Soda, when did you start shaving?"

 _What in the world is he doing?_ , I thought, _I swear, if he's checking for signs of facial hair…_

"When I was fifteen", Soda called back. He was in the middle of an intense game of poker with Steve.

"When did Darry?"

Yep. He was definitely checking for facial hair. I walked over to the bathroom, leaning on the doorway. Pony boy was in front of the mirror, turning his face this way and that, looking for any hint of a beard or mustache.

"When he was thirteen", Soda yelled back again, "Why? You figurin' on growing a beard for the rumble?"

"Pfft", "I scoffed, "Pony you don't need facial hair. You're fine".

He gave me a joking glare before walking over to me and putting his arms around my waist from behind, resting his cheek on my head.

"You're funny. We ought to sent you in to the Reader's Digest. I hear they pay a lot for funny things", Pony retorted to Soda.

I turned around in his arms so I was facing him and wrapping my arms around his waist, "And just why do you need facial hair, my dear?"

"So I can be a man", he said, jokingly flexing his bicep.

"You are exhausting, you know that?", I asked.

"Yep. I don't know how you deal with me".

"Neither do I", I said.

"Oh", Pony said, a smirk growing on his face, "You're gettin' it now".

I squealed and high-tailed it out of the bathroom with Pony right on my tail.

"Get back here, Lily! You're in for it!"

I jumped on the couch, trying to hide behind Soda who was still playing poker with Steve, "Soda! Save me!"

Soda just smirked and got up, "She's all your's, Pony!"

"Traitor!", I cried, pointing at Soda.

Ponyboy jumped on the couch next to me. I tried to get off the couch, but Pony caught me and pulled me down before I could. Then he started tickling the living crap out of me.

"Pony!", I cried out, laughing, "Stop it! You're gonna kill me!"

By this point the entire gang had stopped what they were doing and they were looking at us with smirks on their faces.

"One of y'all help me!", I gasped out.

"No can do, little lady", Darry, "What ever you did, you're gonna get punished for it."

"Apologize!", Pony said, still tickling me.

"Never!", I cried.

"Well, then, I'm just gonna keep ticklin' you", he smirked.

"Fine! I'm…not sorry at all", I said.

"Uh-uh. You're goin' down, darlin'", Pony said, tickling me even more.

I couldn't breathe, I was laughing so hard.

"Ponyboy Curtis!", I gasped out, "If you don't stop tickling me, you're not gettin' any kisses for a week!"

The gang started laughing at my treat and they did even more when Pony's eyes widened and he instantly stopped tickling me.

"Man, Lily, you've got him wrapped around your little finger", Soda exclaimed.

"She would've kissed me anyway", Pony argued, "She can't resist my charm".

"Pony!", I chastised, slapping his chest.

"What?", he said then saw my cocked eyebrow, "Oh, get over here", Pony said pulling me towards him and giving me a kiss, such to the enjoyment of the gang who wolf-whistled much like Dally had when we'd visited him earlier.

I knew nobody would be wearing jackets, so I wasn't surprised to see the gang in t-shirts. Darry's showed every muscle on his body to intimidate any Socs that tried to fight him. Pony's on the other hand looked much looser on him. I had seen that shirt on him before and even though he wasn't crazy muscular like Darry, he filled it out with his build, but know you couldn't really see any of his body through the shirt. I knew he'd lost weight in Windrixville, but didn't realize how much until then.

"Are you just gonna keep starin' at my torso, or are you gonna look at my face", Pony asked, snapping me out of my daze.

I looked up at his face, "Sorry. It's just that…You lost so much weight in Windrixville. It looks unhealthy".

"I'm fine, darlin'. Don't be worryin' about me", he put his hand on his head, making sure his hair was greased back enough.

"See", I told him ,"I told you it'd look better when you greased it back".

"I guess", he shrugged.

"You have more grease in your hair then normal. Why?", I asked.

"We wanna show that we're greasers. Tonight we can be proud of it. Greasers don't have much, but we do have these. A rep and long hair", he explained.

"Well, in your case, not the long hair part", I teased.

"You wound me, darlin'. You really do", Pony said, dramatically putting his hand to his chest.

"How did I ever end up with you", I asked.

"I'm still tryin' to think an answer for that one myself", he said with a grin.

He still looked kind of pale. Everyone was still talking, the radio was cranked up really loud, and the tickle fight that we just had couldn't have helped.

"Are you sure you're okay, honey?", I asked, putting my hand to his forehead, "You're still burnin' up".

"I'll be fine, baby. Like I said, you don't have to worry about me", he responded.

"If you insist", I said, leaning on him and putting my head on his chest.

"You like fights, don't you, Soda?", Pony suddenly questioned. I could feel the vibrations of his voice.

"Yeah, sure", Soda shrugged, "I like fights".

"How come?"

"I dunno. It's action. It's a contest. Like a drag race or a dance or somethin'".

"When was the last time a dance was a contest?", I asked with a smirk.

"Have you ever been to a dancehall, doll?", Soda asked.

"No".

"When was the last time you danced?"

"Soda, I do ballet every week. I didn't go last week because of all that was happenin'."

"Ballet? Where the girls spin around in tutus and the guys wear uncomfortable looking tights?"

"I don't think you realize what ballet is", I laughed, "We don't just spin around in tutus and tights. It takes lots of training."

"What about you, Steve?", Pony asked, getting back to the conversation at hand.

"Shoot. I wanna beat those Socs' heads in. When I get in a fight, I want to stomp the other guy good. I like it too".

"How come you like fights, Darry?"

"He likes to show off his muscles", Soda piped up.

"I'm gonna show 'em off to you, little buddy, if you get any mouthier", Darry retorted, "I don't know if you ought to be in the rumble, Pony".

I could feel Pony tense up under me, "How come? I've always come through before, ain't I?"

"Yeah", Darry said with a prideful grin, "You fight real good for a kid your size. But you were in shape before. You've lost weight and you don't look so great, kid. You're tensed up too much".

"Shoot", Soda said while trying to cheat by pulling a winning card out of his shoe, "We all get tensed up before a rumble. Let him fight. Skin never hurt anyone-no weapons, no danger".

"Well, Johnny won't be there", Darry started, "But then again, Curly Shepard won't be there either, or Dally, and we'll need every man we can get".

"What happened to Shepard?", Pony asked. I knew who Curly Shepard was Tim's little brother. Pony and I's age. Pony told me about the time he and Curly played chicken by holding their cigarette ends against their fingers until Tim showed up and put a stop to it. Pony still had a scar on his finger from it.

"He's in the cooler", Steve said, catching Soda trying to pull the card from his shoe, "In the reformatory".

"Let me fight, Darry. If it was blades or chains or something it'd be different. Nobody ever really gets hurt in a skin rumble", Pony pleaded. What in God's name is 'chains'?, I thought.

"Well", Darry consented," I guess you can. But be careful, and if you get stuck in a jam, holler and I'll get you out."

"I'll be okay", Pony assured him, then got a puzzled look on his face and asked, "How come you never worry about Sodapop as much? I don't see you lecturin' him"

"Man, this is one kid brother I don't have to worry about. This kiddo can use his head", Darry said, slinging an arm across Soda's shoulders.

Soda playfully punched Darry in the ribs.

Sodapop looked at Pony with mock superiority while Darry continued, "You can see he uses it for one thing-to go hair on".

Darry ducked Soda's punch and ran for the door. He flew out just as Two-Bit stuck his head in. Darry leaped off the steps, did a flip in mid-air, hit the ground and came up before Soda could catch him.

"How on Earth did he learn to that?", I asked Pony.

"A few years ago Darry took a course at the Y and taught us all what he learned in case of a fight. It came in handy, but one time Soda and Two were doing flips and a=cartwheels and such down a sidewalk and the police put 'em in the cooler for disturbing the public and police".

"That sounds like somethin' they'd do", I laughed and looked at the door.

"Welup", Two-Bit said happily while cocking an eyebrow, "I see wee are in prime condition for a rumble. Is everybody happy?"

"Yeah", Soda screamed as he also did a somersault off the steps. Then he flipped up on his hands and did a no-hands cartwheel across the yard.

Steve leaped across the lawn, screeching like an Indian, stopped and flipped backwards.

Pony got up, "Well, I guess it's my turn".

"What are you-", I said, being cut off by seeing Pony run out the door, do a no-hands cartwheel off the steps, and hit the ground and roll to his feet with a whoop. Two-Bit followed suit.

"You comin', darlin'?", Pony called.

"You have somethin' else coming for you if you think I can't follow that up, Ponyboy!", I called back.

I flew out the door, somersaulting off the steps, hitting the ground and rolling up much like Pony had. I then did a no-hands cartwheel across the yard and landed on my feet before doing a back-handspring.

Th gang was looking at me with priceless expressions on their faces.

"How did you do that?", Pony exclaimed.

"I used to do gymnastics along with dance", I answered nonchalantly.

"I learn something new about you everyday, don't I?"

"Yup".

I hopped on Ponyboy's back, my arms around my neck and the crooks of his elbows hooked around the underside of my knees, holding them.

"I am greaser", Sodapop cried, "I am a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our fair city. I beat up people. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man, do I have fun!"

"Greaser…greaser…greaser", Steve chanted, "O victim of environment, underprivileged, rotten, no-count hood!"

"Juvenile delinquent, you're no good", Darry yelled which seemed very out of character for him to me.

"Get thee hence, white trash", Two-Bit exclaimed in a posh voice, "I am a Soc. I am the privileged and the well-dressed. I throw beer blasts, drive fancy cars, and break windows at fancy parties".

"And what do you do for fun?", Pony inquired in an awed voice.

"I jump greasers!", Two screamed and did a cartwheel.

"But why?", I exclaimed in a innocent tone, joining in on the fun.

"Because if we don't, then our daddies don't give us our weekly allowance of a hundred dollars!", Two-Bit said in a 'this is common information' voice.

We calmed down a bit after a few minutes. I got off Pony's back because if he held me for much longer, he would he dropped me.

Two-Bit had a jacket, I'd noticed, but Pony told me the only reason was Two had beer cans stored in it.

"Hey, Two-Bit, how come you like to fight", Pony asked, carrying on the conversation from earlier.

Two looked at Pony as if the answer was obvious, "Shoot, everybody fights".

Ponyboy seemed to mull that over for a bit before Darry broke into his train of thought, "Listen, Soda and Pony, if the fuzz show, you two beat it out of there. Lily, you too. The rest of us can only be jailed. Lily, your parents would hit the ceiling. Soda and Pony, y'all can be put in a boys' home".

"Nobody in this neighborhood's gonna call the fuzz", Steve said, "They know what'd happen if they did."

 _Yeah_ , I thought, _Either the one who called would be the one arrested, all the greasers in the rumble would be arrested, or the cops wouldn't show at all._

"All the same", Darry continued, "You two blow at the first sign of trouble. You hear me?"

"You sure don't need an amplifier", Sodapop said, sticking his tongue out at the back of dairy's head which made Pony and I both stifle a laugh.

When we got to the lot where the rumble was taking place, Tim Shepard and his gang where there waiting. Tim and Dally are buddies and it's easy to see why. They both are constantly looking for trouble, enjoyed being hoods, had this tough as nails look to them, and if they didn't stop getting into trouble soon, they were on the road to an early grave.

Tim's gang ranged from 15-19 years old and were all hoods like Tim and Dally. All tough as nails and all looking for trouble. Tim was their designated leader as opposed to our gang who didn't really have a "leader" per-say. And if we did have an undecided leader, it was definitely Darry.

The Brumly Boys were there too. Their gang was more like Tim's. Our three gangs shook hands to show that we were all allies in this rumble.

When Tim got to Pony and I he stopped and looked at Pony, "You and the quiet black-headed kid were the ones who killed that Soc?"

Pony squeezed my hand and I squeezed back in reassurance.

"Yeah", Pony said.

"Good goin', kid. Curly always said you were a good kid. Curly's in the reformatory for the next six months. He got caught breakin' into a liquor store, the little…", Tim then proceeded to call his younger brother every unprintable name and word under the sun.

Then Tim looked at me, "And who the hell are you, broad?"

I felt my teeth grind together and saw Pony throw Tim a glare out of the corner of my eye.

"First of all", I started, "I'll tell you the same thing I told Dallas Winston: don't call me a broad. Second of all, I'm Ponyboy's girlfriend."

"Kid, your girl over here has some spunk", Tim looked at Pony with a devilish smirk, "Is she fightin' in the rumble?"

Pony looked at me, silently asking if I wanted to answer for myself. I nodded in response, "Yes, I am fighting in the rumble".

"If you say so", Tim said,starting to walk away to his own gang, "Break a leg, doll."

"I'll aim for one of the Socs' instead", I retorted, earning me a cocky grin from Tim.

Pony looked around the lot and kind of started to daydream before one of the Brumly Boys waved us over.

"You got a weed?", he asked Pony. Pony nodded and handed him one.

"That big guy with y'all, you know him pretty well?", he asked while lighting the cigarette.

Pony and I both knew he was talking about Darry.

"I ought to", Pony smirked, "He's my brother".

"No kidding? I gotta feelin' he's gonna be asked to start the fireworks around here. He a pretty good bopper?"

I looked at Pony, my brow furrowed in confusion. _What in God's name is a "bopper", I thought._

Pony leaned over, "A 'bopper' is a rumbler. The Brumly Boys call a rumble 'bop-action', he clarified, whispering in my ear.

"Yep", Pony answered the Brumly Boy, "But why him?"

"Why anybody else?"

Most of the greasers have lean, cat-like builds and they slouch. Darry on the other hand, looked like he could take on anyone here.

"Hey Curtis!", Tim yelled over the noise, making Pony and I jump.

"Which one?", Soda yelled back.

"There are three of 'em!", I joined in.

"The big one", Tim clarified, "Come on over here".

"What did I tell ya?", the Brumly Boy said, looking at Pony.

Darry went towards Tim while Pony and I walked over to Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit.

"Is there anything else I should know about a rumble?", I asked Pony, one of my hands holding his and the other gripping his arm.

"You have to be careful. Always watch your back. I know you know how to fight, but still be careful, alright, darlin'?"

"Of course", I said, "Do you want you and me to team up on them?"

"That would be nice", Pony admitted, "Usually Johnny and I do that and I don't wanna have to be worryin' about more than I already am".

"We'll be fine", I assured him, standing on tip-toe and giving him a kiss.

That's when the Socs arrived. I pulled away and stood on the ground regularly when I heard the sound of their Mustangs and Corvairs approaching. They silently filed out of the cars, their madras and khaki pants making it look like they were going to the movies or out to eat instead of coming to a rumble. They all looked the same. Same kinds of shirts, jackets, jackets, and haircuts.

They lined up, facing our line and I couldn't help but think of what we learned history class this year. The textbook explained how in the olden days, when a battle started, both armies would stand facing each other in straight lines until the generals gave a commend and the armies would fire point-blank on each other. That was until the French and Indian War, when the Indians taught the French how to use the element of surprise, ambush, and sneak up on the British and American troops. The American army integrated that style of fighting when they had their revolution against Britain.

Looking at the lines, i realized I was the only girl here on either side.

I was brought out of my daydream by a Soc in a madras shirt walking up to the middle where Tim was.

"Let's get the rules straight", the Soc said, "Nothing but our fists, and the rust to run lose. Right?"

Tim threw away the can from the beer he had been drinking (it had probably been supplied by Two-Bit with his leather jacket of wonders), "You savvy real good".

Everyone stood in silence wondering who was going to start the rumble. I knew enough of the basics to know that when the first punch was thrown, the rumble officially started. Darry solved the problem. He stepped out of the line and stood under the street light. It looked like a scene from a movie.

"I'll take on anyone", he said.

There was silence and I wondered if anyone was going to take up Darry on his offer. Then a Soc came out of his line, "Hello, Darrel".

Why is he calling Darry by his full name?, I thought.

Darry's eyes flickered, "Hello, Paul".

Sodapop gave a slight squeak and some kind of look of realization crossed Pony's face.

"Who is he?", I whispered to him.

"That's Paul Holden. He was on Darry's football team back in high school and they used to buddy around. He must be a junior in college by now", Pony answered back in a whisper.

Paul was looking at Darry with what looked like a look of filled with pity. Or hatred. Whatever the look was filled with, I didn't like it.

It was strange to me. These boys, who used to be friends, were now bitter enemies because of their social standings. I thought of what Two-Bit had said earlier about Darry only being a Greaser because of the gang. Maybe he was ashamed to be here representing hoods like the Brumly Boys and Tim Shepard's gang. Maybe he was ashamed to be representing _us._

"I'll take you", Paul said.

A ghost of a shadow crossed Darry's face.

The two circled each other under the street light, the light illuminating their faces so we could see them eyeing one another. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

That's when Dallas Winston decided to join the fun. "Hold up! Hold it!", he yelled.

Darry turned to see who the voice was coming from and that's when Paul took his chance and swung, hitting Darry in the jaw. The rumble had officially started.

Pony and I jumped on the Soc that was closest to our size.

"I thought you were in the hospital", Pony said to Dally as he rolled out of the way to avoid getting kicked by our Soc.

"I was", Dally said, struggling because of his still-burnt left arm, "I ain't now".

"Yeah, that's kinda obvious", I stated, giving the Soc a right-hook to the jaw.

"How?", Pony asked as our Soc jumped on him and they rolled on the ground together.

"Talked the nurse into it with Two-Bit's switch. Don't you know a rumble ain't a rumble unless I'm in it?"

"So you threatened her", I clarified, trying to kick the Soc in the gut without hurting Ponyboy.

"Pretty much. Yeah".

Our Soc was stronger than we thought. He had Pony pinned to the ground and was slugging him in that face so much, I was surprised Pony hadn't lost a tooth or something. I tried rising the Soc off of Pony, but all that earned me was a punch in the gut and a punch in the eye which was definitely going to give me a shiner.

Darry came to our rescue, grabbing the Soc and knocking him a good 3 feet away with one punch.

We decided to help Dally since he only had use of one arm. Pony jumped on the Soc's back, yanking his hair and punching him in the face. The Soc reached behind him, grabbed Pony by the neck and flipped him over his head, slamming him onto the ground. Then Tim Shepard, who had been fighting 2 Socs at once, stepped backwards onto Pony, knocking the wind out of him. Pony quickly recovered, jumping back onto the Soc and trying to strangle him. While the Soc tried to get Pony's hands off his neck, Dally knocked him onto his back. They all started rolling on the ground, kicking and punching each other.

Then I heard from behind me, "Well, look who the cat dragged in".

I turned to see the leader of the Socs who jumped me, smiling at me with an evil grin, "How've you been, greaser".

"I didn't get the chance to do this before, but I'm sure as hell glad that I get to do it now, asshole", I said nearing him.

"What are you-", I cut the Soc off by kneeing him in the crotch, making him sink to the ground. I jumped on top of him, landing punch after punch onto his face. His nose had been fixed, so I decided to break it again. When I figured he'd had enough, I got off him and spit on him.

I looked next to me and saw Pony sprawled out of the ground. I kneeled next to him.

"What happened?", I asked alarmed.

"Soc…", he started, "kicked me in the head".

"Ya know those Socs that got me the other day?", I asked him trying to get his mind off his head.

He nodded slowly.

"I just saw one. Beat 'im to a pulp", I smirked.

Pony smirked as well. Then I heard Two-Bit's voice, "They're running! Look at the dirty—run!"

Pony tried to sit up and was having trouble so I helped him. Tim Shepard was cussing up a storm because his nose was broken again. The leader of the Brumly Boys was giving one of own men a beating over because he used a piece of pipe in the fight. Steve was groaning in pain about 10 feet away with Sodapop next to him, talking in a reassuring voice (we found out later that Steve had 3 broken ribs). Two-Bit had blood streaming down one side of his face and one of his hands was busted wide open (which made me want to gag), but he was cheering because the Socs were running.

"We won. We beat the Socs", Darry announced, sounding incredibly tired. He had a cut across his forehead and would have a black eye like I would.

Dally sat beside us for a minute before pulling us up by our shirts, "Come on! We're goin' to see Johnny".

Ponyboy stumbled while trying to run and Dally shoved him along, trying to have him move quicker, "Hurry! He was gettin' worse when I left. He wants to see you".

That really got me moving. I grabbed Pony's arm along with Dally and we rushed to the Curtis house, where Buck's T-bird was parked in front. We all hopped in, Pony and Dally in the front and me in the back.

Dally shot down the street and when we got near the hospital, we heard a siren. The police.

"Look sick", Dally told Pony, "I'll say I'm taking you to the hospital, which'll be truth enough".

"What about me?", I asked.

"Just play along with whatever I come up with", Dally ordered.

Pony leaned against the window. It wasn't too hard for him to look sick.

The policeman came to Dally's window, "All right, buddy, where's the fire?"

"The kid", Dally started, jerking his thumb towards Pony, "He fell off his motorcycle and I'm takin' him to the hospital".

The cop then looked at me, "And what about you?"

"I'm his girlfriend. I was on the motorcycle with him", I lied.

The officer looked more concerned, "Is he real bad? Do you need an escort?"

"How would I know if he's bad or not?", Dally told the officer, "I ain't no doc. Yeah, we could use an escort", then when the cop left I heard Dally hiss, "Sucker!"


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm sooo sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I've been wanting to, but when I got back to school after break, the teachers piled a ton of work on us. Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a wonderful 2017! This is the chapter where it all goes down. Y'all know what I'm talking about. There will only be a few more chapters with lots of dialogue from the actual book "The Outsiders" including this one. All rights go to S.E Hinton. I love y'all and stay gold! -AthenaRavenclaw13**

With the police escort, we got to the hospital in record time. On the way there, Dally was rambling on about something. I was daydreaming, but heard the end, "I was crazy, you know that? Crazy for wantin' Johnny to stay outta trouble, for not wantin' him to get hard. If he'd been like me he'd never have been in this mess. If he'd got smart like me he'd never have run into that church. That's what you get for helpin' people. Editorials in the paper and a lot of trouble…Y'all better wise up…you get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you…"

While Dally and I were pretending to help Pony out of the car, the cop left. The second he was gone, Dally started shoving us forward so hard, we almost fell, "Hurry!"

We all sprinted through the lobby and halls, drawing attention because of our disheveled states. When we finally got to Johnny's room, we saw the doctor who stopped us. "I'm sorry, but he's dying".

"We gotta see him", Dally demanded flicking out Two's switchblade, voice shaking, "We're gonna see him and if you give me any static you'll end up on your own operation table".

The doctor was strangely calm about a blade only a few inches from his face, "You can see him, but it's because you're his friends, not because of that knife".

Dally stared at the doctor for a second before we all barged into Johnny's room.

Johnny was lying still on the bed and I could tell Pony was thinking the same thing I was by the expression on his face: we're too late.

"Johnnycake?", Dally said in a strained voice, "Johnny?"

"Hey", came Johnny's voice from the hospital bed, even softer than usual.

"Hi, Johnny", I greeted quietly.

"Hi, Lily", he almost whispered.

We all went in closer to Johnny's bedside.

"We won", Dally informed Johnny, panting, "We beat the Socs. We stomped them-chased them right outta out territory".

"Useless…fighting's no good…", Johnny muttered. He was white as a ghost.

"They're still writing editorials about you in the paper. For being a hero and all", Dally told him. He was talking awful fast, "Yeah, they're calling you a hero now and heroizin' all the greasers. We're all proud of you, buddy".

Johnny's eyes lit up. Dally was his idol. For Dally to be proud of him was all Johnny ever wanted.

"Lily", Johnny whispered.

I leaned towards him. "Yeah, Johnnycakes?", I asked using the gang's nickname for him.

"Help Pony through this. Ya dig?"

I nodded and kissed Johnny's cheek, tears rolling down my face. I knew what he was talking about.

"Ponyboy".

Pony leaned forward to hear Johnny better.

"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…"

Johnny sank back into the pillow and let out his last breath, dying right in front of us.

I looked over to see Pony with a shocked expression on his face and Dally had some expression that I couldn't quite place. Traumatized? Shock, maybe? Sadness?

Dallas leaned over and pushed Johnny's hair away from his eyes, "Never could keep your hair back…", it would have been a sentimental moment, if not for what happened next, "…that's what you get for tryin' to help people, you little punk, that's what you get…"

Dally whirled up out of his chair so fast I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash from it. He slammed his back up against the wall, he face contorting in pain as sweat flowed down his face, "Dammit, Johnny", he cried, slamming his fist on the wall, "Oh, dammit, Johnny, don't die, please don't die…"

Then he ran through the door and sprinted down the door.

 _Oh no_ , I thought. Dally had always been too reckless for his own good and I knew that when he got angry, his recklessness only increased and he didn't think about what he was dong until it was too late. I knew that he was going to do something that he was going to regret and I knew that we needed to help him. Dally had always seemed to like Johnny (maybe even loved him) and now that he was gone, all hell was going to break loose.

Ponyboy and I walked down the hall in a daze. Dally had taken the car so we decided to walk back to the Curtis' house.

We walked around for a while, Pony walking into the street, much to the aggravation of the drivers, before I kept having to pull him back onto the sidewalk. Finally a man around his mid-20s asked us if we needed a ride. Usually, I would have immediately refused since my parents had always told me to be wary of strangers. But in these particular circumstances, Pony and I let the man give us a ride. The man was nice enough, asking if we were alright and such. Ponyboy didn't notice that his head was bleeding until the man pointed it out. He drove us to Pony's house and we thanked him before walking inside.

Steve was on the couch, his shirt unbuttoned, with bandages wrapped around his sides. Sodapop's lip was cut open and he had a nasty looking bruise across his cheek. There was a band-aid on Darry's forehead and he had a black eye. One side of Two-Bit's face was covered in tape and in all he had 11 stitches (4 in his cheek and 7 in his hand for his knuckles). I hadn't gotten a good look at Pony until then and I wasn't happy with what I saw. He had blood streaming down one side of his face from the head and was covered in cuts and bruises. I figured that I couldn't look much better. I knew that I had a black eye and my face and gut felt tender from getting punched.

Darry leaped out of his chair when we walked in, "Where have you been?"

He looked at our faces and his softened up, "What's the matter?"

Ponyboy looked frightened and miserable, "Johnny…he's dead. We told him about beatin' the Socs and… I dunno, he just died".

"He's gone", I whispered.

Soda made a noise and looked like he was about to cry. Two clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Dallas is gone", Pony broke the silence, "He ran out like the devil was after him. He couldn't take it".

"He's gonna blow", I said, "I just know it. All hell's gonna break loose one way or another."

"So he finally broke", Two-Bit murmured, "So even Dally has a breaking point".

Pony started trembling and shaking.

"Ponyboy", Soda told him softly, "You look sick sit down."

Pony backed up a little, pulling me with him because of out interlocked hands, "I'm okay. I don't want to sit down".

Darry took a step towards us. Pony backed away even more, "Don't touch me".

"Pony, honey", I spoke softly to him, "Calm down. You're okay."

He looked at me hesitantly, his face deathly pale and his skin clammy.

That's when the phone rang and after a moment's hesitation, Darry answered with a, "Hello?" He said nothing else for the remainder of the call and swiftly hung up.

"It was Dally. He phoned from the booth. He's just robbed a grocery store and the cops are after him. We gotta hide him. He'll be at the lot in a minute."

All of us, even Steve with his injured ribs, sprinted out of the house and down the street. Ponyboy wasn't running in a straight line and I had to pull him along to keep him going.

We got to the lot at the same time as Dally, him running in from the other side with police sirens wailing behind him. Dally stood under the street lamp much like Darry had before the rumble. The cops scrambled out of their vehicles and surrounded him. When Dally halted under the light of the lamp, he whipped out a dark object out of his waistband. The gun. The gun. _What_ _the hell is he doing?_ , I thought, _The cops don't know it's not loaded_. _He's gonna get himself killed_. Then I stopped. _That's what he's trying to do; get himself killed._

We all screamed at Dally to put the gun down and at the policemen not to fire, but it was too late. The policemen's guns spit out bullets which made a deafening roar of a sound in contrast to the silence of the night. Dally went down on a hail of gunfire and was dead before he hit the lot's gravel. The bullets made Dally flail upon their impacts to his body and he fell to the ground with a look of grim triumph on his face, much like he'd won a race, knowing that his elaborate suicide attempt has worked.

They were gone. Both Johnny and Dally were gone. Both in one night. Johnny died a hero with newspaper stories praising his bravery and selflessness, his death by succumbing to injuries sustained by saving children from a burning church. Dally died a criminal. There may be stories in the paper about his death, but they wouldn't be good ones. They'd be stories about how he had a criminal record that went for miles. How he robbed a grocery store and died by pulling a gun on the police. They would say how they thought the weapon was loaded, so they shot back in self-defense.

Dally's death may have just seemed like the act of a young rebellious hood to them, but we knew the truth. He did it for Johnny, just like he'd told us to do before the rumble. He couldn't stand life without Johnny, so he decided to join him.

Steve almost fell over, Sodapop having to catch him.

"Easy, buddy, easy", Soda comforted his friend, There's nothing we can do now".

Pony's face got paler, if that was even possible, and he started to sway.

"Glory, look at the kid!", one of the gang yelled. I wasn't paying any attention to who. Then Ponyboy collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. I fell to my knees along with Soda, trying to revive him.

"Ponyboy!", I cried, tears running down my face. I couldn't take it. I was having an anxiety attack like the night I was jumped. My breaths started coming shorter and faster. I felt lightheaded. My tears continued. Someone was shaking me.

"Lily!", I heard Soda's voice call, "Lily, calm down! You're gonna-."

I didn't hear the rest of what he was saying. I had passed out too.

I woke up in a familiar place. My room. My head was pounding. I was still in my clothes from the rumble. My mom walked into my room quietly.

"Oh, good. You're awake", she said, rushing over to my bed.

"What happened?", I asked.

"Ponyboy's older brother, Darry, carried you home. He said the gang was in a fight earlier".

I nodded, "Did he say anything else?"

Mom shook her head, "No. Why? Did something else happen?"

"After the fight, Me, Pony and Dally went to see Johnny. He died right in front of us. Dally couldn't take it. He blew up and robbed a grocery store. The cops came after him and shot him down at the vacant lot when he pulled out an unloaded gun."

"Oh, peanut", she cooed, pulling me to her as I cried, "How'd you pass out, then?"

"After Dally died, I had an anxiety attack. I guess I just started hyperventilating and passed out. It was right after…", I trailed off. I knew I had been kneeling on the ground before I passed out. Then I remembered. Ponyboy.

"Ponyboy!", I exclaimed, making my head throb, "He passed out right before I did. He was sick…and the shock…oh, God, is he okay? Where is he?"

"Calm down. You'll get yourself too worked up. His brothers took him to the hospital", she assured me, "Go back to bed now. I'll wake you up later."

But I'm not sick, I thought, Why do I need to go back to bed?

My body responded for me though, falling back asleep.

When I woke up again, I was determined to stay awake. I trudged down the stairs and plopped into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Good afternoon", Mom teased, handing me a glass of juice, "How'd you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess", I was still kind of groggy.

"You got quite the black eye", she commented just as Dad walked in.

"What were you doin' to get that shiner?", he asked.

I muttered an answer, knowing they wouldn't like it.

"What?"

"I was in a rumble", I spoke more clearly.

"What in God's name were you in one of those for?!", Dad cried, making me put a hand to my head.

"Tensions were gettin' too high between us and the Socs", I said, "People were gettin' jumped all over the place and then there was the Socs wanting revenge for Bob Sheldon."

"But why did you participate?!"

"Because I felt like it was my duty to!", I retorted, "And besides, I wanted my own revenge."

"What for?", Mom asked, taking a seat next to me.

"I was one of the ones that got jumped!"

They both got looks of shock on their faces.

"When?", Dad asked.

I thought for a second, "About a week ago. It's were I got the scars from. Not the fire."

"And why didn't you think of telling us?", Dad questioned.

"Because it was a busy week, in all, with Socs constantly reminding me that my boyfriend was an 'accomplice in a murder' at school!"

"What happened?", Mom asked soothingly.

I took a deep breath and relayed the story.

"The gang responded to to screamin'", I finished, "They took me back to their house, where I was goin' in the first place, while I had an anxiety attack. Darry and Soda stitched and cleaned me up."

Dad looked at me with wide eyes as Mom pulled me into a hug.

"Oh, Lily. I'm so sorry that happened to you", Mom said.

After a long conversation about stuff I can't even remember, I went back up to my room. Anna and Henry came in a little later, barging in on me reading a book.

"Is there something y'all would like?", I asked, not even looking up from my book.

"Are you okay?", Anna asked.

Shocked, I lifted my head to look at them and when they saw my face, their eyes widened their jaws dropped.

"What happened?", Henry asked.

"I was in a rumble last night", I answered.

"Man, I wish I got to beat up those Socs!", Henry whined.

I smirked, "Trust me. No you don't."

"But are you alright?", Anna asked again.

I let my smile fall, "Honestly? No, I'm not even close."

The twins came over and sat on my bed.

"What happened?"

"It's a long story", I said.

"We have time", Henry assured.

I recounted the story for them, their expressions changing from shock to sadness and back again several times.

"So in summary", I said, "I lost 2 friends last night, I was beat up, and my boyfriend is now in the hospital for God knows how long."

"You should go see him", Anna suggested.

"I can't right now. He's sick and remember, he got real hurt last night too. Emotionally and physically. So he's probably too shaken up for much company right now. He needs to be with his family."

Henry cocked his head in confusion like a puppy, his hair locked in place since there was so much grease in it, "Aren't you like his family?".

"Kinda, I guess", I told him, trying to see where he was going.

"You should go see him, then", Henry said.

"I'll call his house and if someone answers, I'll ask them if they know when he's gettin' outta the hospital, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. Bye!", he said before racing out of the room.

"God, it's hard to share a room with him", Anna sighed.

I snickered, "Speakin' of rooms, you should get your butt outta mine."

"Fine, fine", Anna said, putting her hand up in surrender for dramatic effect, "I'm goin'."

I went back downstairs and over to the phone, dialing in the Curtis house's number.

"Hello?", I heard Two-Bit's voice answer and couldn't help but be reminded of Darry answering Dally's phone call the same way last night. It was hard to believe it had only been last night.

"Hey, Two-Bit", I greeted, "It's Lily."

"Hi. How ya feelin'?"

"I've been better. Hey, do you know when Pony's gettin' out of the hospital?"

"How'd you know about that?"

"My mom told me. Do you know?", I asked, prodding for the answer.

"I think they're lettin' him out in a few days, but he's gotta be on bedrest for a week."

"Oh, good. I was worried. How's he doing?"

"Alright, I suppose. He's real out of it. Been sleepin' almost whole time and when he does get up, he's kinds delirious."

"Delirious?"

"Yeah. Like he asked Sodapop earlier if someone was sick and when Soda told him yes, he asked if it was him. Then he asked Soda if Darry was sorry that he was sick."

"Have Darry call me when he can have visitors so I can see him."

"I'll let 'em know, doll."

"Okay. Thanks, Two."

I hung up the phone and took a deep 'll call me when he's healthy.

Ashlynn almost knocked me over that Monday when she saw me at dance class.

"I swear", she threatened, "If you ever do something like that again, I'll beat you within an inch of your life."

"I think I got a good enough beating from the rumble", I retorted.

The swelling in my eye had gone down as much as was to be expected in 2 days and my cheek wasn't as tender.

The other girls didn't really talk to me, most of them being Socs.

Darry called me on Tuesday. He told me that Pony had woken up for long enough to have a reasonable conversation, so he assumed that he was okay for visitors. He suggested I come over the next day.

It was interesting at school since I came back. The Socs were leaving me alone for the most part which was nice. Luckily nobody mentioned the fire or Johnny and Dally. I didn't feel like being praised or feeling someone's pity.

I walked over to the Curtis' house the next day as planned. The gang all greeted me with hugs and they all kind of looked like I might break at any second like they had after I got jumped. I realized that since Pony wasn't doing too well after witnessing the same thing I had, they were scared that I would do the same thing as him.

After assuring them that I was indeed alright, I made my way to Pony and Soda's room.

"Knock, knock", I said, standing at the doorway.

Ponyboy looked over from the book he was reading at me, "Hey, darlin'. Come on in."

I walked in and sat Indian style on the bed next to Pony.

"How're you doin', honey?"

"Good. How 'bout you?"

I shrugged, "Eh. I'm okay."

"Randy visited me earlier today."

"What'd he have to say?"

"Just talked to me about stuff. We have court tomorrow."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'll come if y'all want me to", I said. How did I not know that?

"That'd be nice. Randy also talked about how I didn't do anything which is far from the truth. He said it was Johnny that had the knife."

I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Honey, _it was_ Johnny that had the knife. He was the one that killed Bob."

"No. It was me."

"Ponyboy, do you have amnesia or somethin'? I know I wasn't there that night, _but I do know_ that Johnny was the one that killed Bob. _You_ were gettin' drowned in the fountain."

Pony looked like I was the one in the wrong, "No. I had the blade and I was scared they were gonna beat me up."

"Are you sure you don't have amnesia? It was Johnny. Our friend? The one that died in the hospital after the rumble?"

"Johnny isn't dead."

Pony was starting to look shaken up, so I decided to drop the subject, "What've you been doing the past few days?"

For some reason, Pony seemed to forget what we had just been talking about immediately, "Oh, nothin' much. Reading. Drawing."

 _Am I going crazy?_ , I thought, _Is something wrong with Ponyboy?_

After about half an hour of small talk, I kissed him goodbye and left the room. I made a b-line to Darry.

"What the hell is goin' on with him?", I demanded, "Are you sure he just got a minor concussion and not amnesia or somethin'?"

Darry looked confused, so I clarified, "Pony's demandin' that _he_ was the one that killed Bob and that Johnny's _not_ dead, when I know for a fact that neither of those things are true. It's like he's delusional. Now tell me. What. The hell. Is wrong. With my boyfriend."

Darry rubbed his temples, "After suffering all that traumatic stuff in such a short period of time, Pony's kinda a mess mentally and emotionally. Frankly, I don't understand how you're takin' all this so well."

"Well, luckily for me, I've always been able to handle hard things alright. I know the past year's been real hard for y'all, but he's shuttin' down, If we don't help him soon, God knows what'll happen."

"That's exactly it", Darry said, "We're trying to help him, but it's so hard. He'll refuse the help when we offer it to him and he puts up a fight about going to the doctor. I just don't know what to do."

"I'll be at court tomorrow supporting y'all, is that helps any."

"Maybe it will. We won't find out til tomorrow."

I gave a hug to the boys that were there and walked home.

The truth was, I wasn't handling Johnny and Dally's deaths very well. I was just keeping my emotions bottled up inside. If Pony saw that I was breaking too, who knows what would happen. Besides, with his last wish to me, Johnny wanted me to help Pony through this and i couldn't very well do that if I was a mess. The sadness and grief was definitely there, but it was dammed up and I knew that at some point the dam would break. I was trying to put that off for as long as I could and I could only hope that when it broke, I was at my own house alone or something of that nature. I couldn't let the gang see me like that. I just couldn't.


	19. Chapter 19

Court the next day went well. I wore a nice black dress that went down to my knees and decided on my black flats instead of heels because when I get nervous I start bouncing my leg and if I did that in court and my heel kept clicking the ground and someone noticed, I would be embarrassed beyond belief. I also bit my nails out of nervousness, but in light of the recent weeks' events, I didn't have anymore nail to bite.

Randy answered some questions along with the other Socs that were there that night. Cherry did too. The judge asked Sodapop and Darry some questions. Mostly about Dally. When the Socs retold the story of that night, they said that Johnny had the blade which made Pony tense up next to me. I grabbed his hand and rubbed my thumb along his knuckles. I knew he wanted to leap up and argue with them that _he_ had the blade and not Johnny, but that wasn't true and it might get him in trouble.

Pony was asked some things. The doctor talked to the judge before the hearing and told him about Pony's condition, so the judge just asked questions about school, if Pony liked having Darry as his legal guardian, etc. Pony kept biting his nails and the judge even had to tell him to stop at one point. I couldn't blame him, though. I would've been doing the same thing.

The judge announced that the case was acquitted and Pony could stay with Darry and Soda.

After the hearing, Pony started acting even more weird. He kept running into things and never remembered things. One day I was at home with a cold and without me at school to remind him about things, Ponyboy somehow managed to walk all the way back home in his socks and didn't even notice until Steve pointed it out. He had left his shoes in the locker room and never found them. Pony stopped eating. He was flunking in school too. Since I sat next to him in English, I could tell when he was having a hard time. He used to make all A's, but now he was lucky if he could get a D. Pony was not doing well.

Random students and even some teachers had come up to us as we were walking through the halls and asked about the whole thing. We tried ignoring them or just giving the simple answer, "Everything's fine", but they didn't stop.

One day Mr. Syme talked to Pony for a few minutes after class. I waited for him outside the door and when Pony came out, he told me what the conversation was about. Mr. Syme told him that he had to write a theme on any experience that he found profound enough to write about. If Pony came up with a good enough one, Mr. Syme would pass him this semester with a C.

For lunch, Pony, Two-Bit, Steve, and I went to the nearby liquor store where the boys bought cigarettes and we all got sodas and candy bars.

Steve and Two-Bit were in the store hating with some girls and Pony and I were sitting on the fender of Steve's car and drinking our sodas **(I had to look up what a fender was because** **I know nothing about cars)** , me sitting on his lap, when a Mustang with 3 Socs pulled up. I started to panic, my eyes going wide and my hands starting to shake. Pony, on the other hand, looked completely calm and when I looked into his eyes I could tell that it wasn't just an act. He wasn't scared of them at all.

"You're the guy that killed Bob Sheldon", one of the Socs said to Pony, "And he was a friend of ours. We don't like nobody killing our friends, especially greasers."

Pony had a bored look on his face that said, _Big whoop. I've done this a million times._ Then he smashed the bottom of the bottle against Steve's car and pulled me behind him, holding the broken bottle in front of himself as though it were a blade.

"You get back into your car or you'll get split", Pony threatened. I probably looked just as surprised as the Socs. Pony would never harm a fly. He didn't fight. It's just the way he was.

Seeming to want to contradict my thoughts, he spoke again, "I mean it. I've had about all I can take from you guys".

The Socs looked like they were about to wet themselves as they scrambled back to their Mustang and sped away. Just then, Two-Bit and Steve came running out of the liquor store.

"You really would've used that bottle, wouldn't you?", Two-Bit asked, "Steve and I were backing you, but I guess we didn't need to. You'd have really cut them up, huh?"

"I guess so", Pony sighed, "You okay, darlin'? It looks like you saw a ghost".

I blinked in surprise and nodded.

"Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be…"

 _So that's what all this is about,_ I thought, _He's trying to be tough like Dally said. He's trying to turn off his emotions. I hope it doesn't work._

"What in the world are you doing?", Two-Bit questioned, derailing my train of thought. I looked to the ground and saw Pony picking up the glass from his broken bottle.

"Picking up the glass", Pony responded.

"You little son of a gun", Two-Bit said, smirking.

Pony showed me later what the first drafts of his theme looked like. He tried several times to write about Soda's old horse, Mickey Mouse. He thought about writing about his parents, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He finally just gave up and drew horses all over his paper and wrote out his and his brothers' full names. Darrel Shaynne Curtis Jr, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, and Ponyboy Michael Curtis.

That night was interesting. I wasn't there, but Ponyboy told me about it the next morning on our walk to school. Soda smoked which he barely ever does. And then during dinner Soda was quiet and didn't eat very much. After dinner Pony and Darry had gotten into a fight. The fourth one that week. It was over Pony wanting to go for a ride even though he hadn't done anything with his theme. During the argument, Pony asked Soda to back him up. Soda started stuttering and bolted out the door dropping and envelope. It was a letter that he wrote to Sandy in Florida, sent back unopened. That's how Pony found out about Sandy. I was going to tell him, but with all that had happened, it had slipped my mind. That's also how Pony found out about Soda trying every night when he was gone. Pony and Darry had to chase after him to the park where Pony tackled Soda to the ground. Darry and Pony didn't realize until the conversation that they all had that Soda always felt caught in they middle when they argued.

I could relate to that. I was terrible at taking sides and making choices. I could always see both sides of an argument and I couldn't imagine constantly being pulled side-to-side in a game of tug-of-war with my family.

"After the fight, I still didn't wanna do my homework", Pony said, "So I searched around for a book."

"Haven't you read just about every book there is in that house of yours?", I joked.

"Yep", he stated proudly, "Even Darry's copy of 'The Carpetbaggers'."

My jaw dropped. "Pony!", I exclaimed, "You read 'The Carpetbaggers?!"

He nodded, smirking at my reaction.

"Pony! That book's for adults!"

"That's what Darry told me. I read it anyway, though."

"Did you…Did you like it?", I asked, blushing a little.

He released his hand from mine and swung his arm around my waist, "Nope. I have to say, after I read it I agreed with Darry."

I laughed, "Serves you right."

"So anyway", Pony said, getting back on subject, "I picked up 'Gone with the Wind'. The copy Johnny left me."

I was happy he finally excepted that Johnny was gone. Dally too.

"Oh", I said, "What part did you read?"

"I actually didn't end up reading the book", he started, rummaging through his pocket with his free hand, "This was in it."

Pony pulled out a folded piece of paper and put it in my hand, "Here. I want you to read it."

I carefully opened up the paper and saw small handwriting, the graphite of the pencil light as though the writer was afraid that they would make mistakes and wanted the words to be easy to erase.

"Is this from Johnny?", I murmured.

"Mhm".

I took a deep breath and started reading while walking.

'Ponyboy, I asked the nurse to give you this book so you could finish it. The doctor came in a while ago but I knew anyway. I keep getting tireder and tireder. Listen, I don't mind dying now. It's worth it. It's worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for. Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it. Tell Dally it's worth it. I'm going to miss you guys. I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy who wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid, like green. When you're a kid, everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep it that way, it's a good way to be. I want you to tell Dally to look at one. He'll probably think you're crazy, but ask for me. I don't think he's ever really seen a sunset. And don't be so bugged over being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself what you want. And take care of Lily. Love her. Protect her. Don't let her go. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows. Your buddy, Johnny.'

There were small tears running down my cheeks in a steady stream. I had stopped dead in my tracks when Johnny mentioned me.

"Pony", I whimpered.

He spun me a little so I was facing me and enveloped me in a hug.

"Tell Dally…", I muttered.

I started sobbing. This is exactly what I knew would happen. The dam had broken. Reality had come flooding out and I was drowning in it.

"Pony, they're both dead", I choked out, "We can't tell Dally and Johnny didn't know Dally would…Oh God…"

Pony wrapped his arms around my waist and I wrapped mine around his, crying into his chest, "They're gone…They're gone…"

"Shh, darlin'. It's okay. Just breathe. Shh. You'll be okay. It'll all be okay. You're fine", Pony whispered comfortingly in my ear. I just continued crying, sobs racking my body.

"Do you think you can go to school?", he asked, quietly.

I shook my head which was still in his chest.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

I shook my head again, but spoke a little this time, "My family is still home. I don't want them to see me like this", I hiccuped.

"Do you wanna go to my house?"

I nodded my head, "If it's okay."

"That's just fine, baby. Let's go."

Pony tilted my chin up and kissed my lips softly before pulling away and wiping under my eyes with his thumbs. He pulled me close to his right side, wrapping his right arm around my shoulders and holding my right hand with his left. The chilly October wind hit our faces as we walked and make me thankful that I was wearing something over my clothes.

The walk back to the Curtis house was almost silent, save for my sniffles. There were almost unnoticeable tears sliding down my face the entire walk there.

There was one line in specific from Johnny's letter that continued to run through my head: "Love her". I mean, Soda had told me that he knew Pony loved me. Did the rest of the gang know too? Could they tell that I loved him?

When we got to the house, Pony help open the door for me and we walked in. Two-Bit was lounging on the couch with a beer even though it only about 7 in the morning.

"Are y'all ditchin' school today?", he asked.

"I wouldn't really call it ditching", Pony told him, "Lily's having a hard day and she wanted to come here, so I figured I would stay with her."

Two-Bit looked my tear-stained face and spoke hesitantly, "Well, I'll be here for now. I might go out soon to do something. If I do, will y'all be okay on your lonesome?"

"We'll be fine", Pony assured him. Two seemed awfully serious right now.

Ponyboy led me to his and Soda's room where we dropped our backpacks onto the floor.

"Do you want to change out of your school clothes?", Pony asked as he sat on his bed.

"I don't have any other clothes."

"You can wear some of mine if you want", he suggested.

"Sure", I said.

Pony got off his bed and rustled through his drawers, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and handing them to me.

"Thanks. Pony, can you face the wall while I'm getting changed please?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course", Pony said, turning slightly red before turning and facing the wall.

I had a black pencil skirt, black tights, black flats, and a blue blouse with a Peter Pan collar that was tucked into the skirt. I had a light jacket on over everything. When I tried unzipping the skirt, it got stuck and wouldn't budge. I sighed in annoyance.

"Honey, I need your help for a second", I told him from across the room.

"What is it?"

"The zipper on my skirt is stuck and I need some help", I admitted, embarrassed.

Pony started to walk backwards toward me.

"Pony", I laughed, "You can turn around to help me. The only things I've taken off are my jacket and shoes."

"Alright", he said, turning around and walking to me, "So your zipper is stuck?"

"Uh-huh."

"Gimme a second. I need to see it better", Pony said as he kneeled down on the floor, trying to fix my zipper. He started tugging and pulling at the zipper, since it was probably caught on my tucked-in blouse.

Two-Bit walked into the room just as Pony fixed the zipper with a "Got it!"

"Hey, I'm goin' now, just letting y'all- Woah!"

Me and Pony's eyes went wide as Two-Bit's jaw hit the floor, "Pony, please tell me you were not about to get some action."

Pony and I blushed a vivid red and started fumbling over our words.

"No!", Pony and I finally yelled in unison.

"What was that, then?", Two-Bit asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm changing put of my clothes and into some of Pony's. When I was trying to unzip my skirt, the zipper got caught on my blouse and I couldn't fix it, so I asked Pony to help me. He was kneeling down to see it better."

"If you say so", Two shrugged.

"Now you can leave", Pony said while shoving Two-Bit out of the room.

"Use protection!", Two-Bit called as he left.

"Shut up, Keith!", I yelled.

The front door slammed so I knew he was gone.

"Pony, can you face the wall again?"

"Yep."

With Ponyboy facing the wall and no further distractions, I finished changing, leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor.

"I'm good now, Honey", I told Pony, walking up behind him and placing my hands on his shoulders.

"You look adorable in those", Pony said after turning around to face me. The shirt was baggy and long on me while I had to roll the pants up several times to get them to fit.

"No I don't", I fake argued, pouting, "I look tuff". I flexed what small muscles I had for effect.

"Oh, yes. I'm so terribly sorry. You are the tuffest of all the greasers in Tulsa", Pony joked, rolling his eyes and wrapping me in a hug.

"Thank you", I said, leaning up and pecking his lips.

"No problem", he replied, falling onto the bed and pulling me with him, making me squeal.

Ponyboy kicked off his Converse and he lay on his and Soda's bed. I took out my braid and lay down next to Pony, facing him.

"Honey?"

"Yeah, darlin?"

"In the letter, what did Johnny mean when he was talking about the poem?"

Pony blinked in surprise, "You know a few weeks ago, before everything happened, when you stood up and read that Robert Frost poem to the class in English?"

"Yeah?"

"I memorized it. When Johnny and I were hiding at Jay Mountain, one day we saw a sunset. Johnny said that it was sad that it couldn't last forever which reminded me of the poem. I recited it to him."

Pony reached out his hand and started playing with the locks of hair near my face, twisting them around his finger.

"I memorized it too", I told him, a small smile ghosting my face, "Is that what he was talking about? When he died, I mean."

"Yeah. That's what he was talkin' about. Didn't Johnny say something to you too?"

I nodded my head, tears staring to well up in my eyes again, "Yeah. He did."

"Can you tell me what it was? I was kinda out of it when all the was happening", Pony muttered.

"He told me to take care of you. To help you get through his death. Little did we know, that we'd all have to get through Dally's too", I told him, tears making their way down my face again.

"Oh, darlin'", Ponyboy cooed, "Come over here."

Pony wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. I wrapped mine around his waist too and cried into his chest.

"God, I'm such a crybaby today", I mumbled into his shirt.

"No, you're not, baby", he assured me,"Shh. It's okay."

I whimpered in response.

Pony took a breath and then did something I wasn't expecting. He started to sing. He was a great singer, his voice steady, on-key, and low and having a little Southern accent as he sang.

"Love me tender, love me sweet;

Never let me go.

You have made my life complete

And I love you so.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me long;

Take me to your heart.

For it's there that I belong

And we'll never part.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me, dear;

Tell me you are mine.

I'll be yours through all the years,

Til the end of time.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will."

I stared at Ponyboy in awe for a minute before my face broke into a smile and I hugged him tighter, tears making their way out of my eyes again. But this time they were tears of joy, not sadness.

"Why are you still crying?", he asked, tilting my chin up to see my face.

"Don't worry. They're happy tears now, Honey", I assured him.

Pony wiped away the tears, "I love you so much, Lily."

"I love you too, Ponyboy. So much", I told him, my smile about to break my face and Pony hugging me even closer to him. I dug my face into his chest, breathing in the all too familiar scent of cologne and cigarette smoke.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to tell you that", Pony sighed.

"Me too."

"People might say that we're too young to be in love."

"Honey, we've been through Hell and back together. It's alright to love each other. It doesn't matter if we're 14, 34, or 100. We love each other and that's all that matters."

"Glory, you're poetic", Pony laughed, "What do you want to do?"

"I dunno."

"You want me to read to you?"

I nodded.

Pony got up from the bed and grabbed the copy of _Gone with the Wind_ from his desk before laying down again on his back. I scooted over and lay my head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat and feeling the vibrations of his voice as he started to read. Pony wrapped an arm around my shoulder, his other hand holding the book.

'"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized that when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were," Pony started from the beginning, "In her face were too sharply blended the delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of French decent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, square of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a touch of hazel-"'.

I interrupted his reading, "Kinda like yours."

Pony shrugged, "I suppose", then went back to reading, '"-starred with bristly black lashes and slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique line in her magnolia-white skin-that skin so prized by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets, veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.

Seated with Stuart and Brent Tarleton in the cool shade of the porch of Tara, her father's plantation, that bright April afternoon of 1861, she made a pretty picture. Her new green flowered-muslin dress spread its twelve yards of following material over her hoops and exactly matched the flat-heeled green morocco slippers her father had recently brought her from Atlanta. The dress set off to perfection the seventeen-inch waist, the smallest in three counties, and the tightly fitting basque showed breasts well matured for her sixteen years…"'

Pony trailed off when it started talking about Scarlett's chest and blushed.

My eyes had been closed so I had to open them to see this. When I did, I smirked.

"She sounds awfully pretty to me", I said, my opinion contradicting the book's first line.

"Not as beautiful as you", Pony complimented.

"Even if I don't have a seventeen-inch waist?", I asked jokingly.

"Especially since you don't have a seventeen-inch waist. How do they even get it that small?"

"They used corsets made of metal or whalebone" I explained, "The girl slipped it on under her chamise and dress and stuff and someone tied it really tight in the back. It damaged their internal organs, crushed their ribs, and made them faint. That's where the stereotypical image of the swooning Victorian lady comes from."

Pony looked down at me with a confused look on his face, "Why on Earth would they do that?"

"To attract suiters. They believed that the smaller their waists were, the more attractive they would be."

"That's so stupid", Pony muttered.

"Beauty is pain, Honey. Beauty is pain."

"And what's up with all this talk about how she's 'well matured'?"

"It means she has large breasts for her age, Pony."

"But why are they talking about it?", he asked, blushing profusely.

"They found that attractive too. The hourglass figure was very desirable. Now keep reading."

Ponyboy muttered something under his breath about stupid Victorian beauty standards before continuing, '"But for all the modesty of her spreading skirts, the demureness of hair netted smoothly into a chignon and the quietness of small white hands folded on her lap, her true self was poorly concealed. The green eyes in the carefully sweet face were turbulent, willful, lusty with life, distinctly at variance with her decorous demeanor. Her manners had been imposed upon her by her mother's gentle admonitions and sterner discipline of her mammy; her eyes were her own."'

"She sounds a little like Soda" I observed.

"A little."

"Didn't you read this in the church with Johnny?", I asked.

"Part of it, yeah. Why?"

"That means you already read this part. Why are you asking so many questions now?"

"Did you really think I was going to ask Johnny, a sixteen-year-old boy, about this stuff?"

"You have a point. God, it would've been interesting to live back then. I would've loved to wear one of those huge dresses."

"Why? They sound so uncomfortable."

"They must've been, but they were so pretty. Think of the movie. Those were the dresses they were wearing."

"You look good in anything you wear, darlin'. You're wearing my sweatpants and shirt and you still look great."

"Thank you, Honey. Will you please keep reading?"

"Sure", Pony agreed, picking up the book and continuing, "'On either side of her, the twins lounged easily in their chairs, squinting at the sunlight through the tall mint-garnished glasses as they laughed and talked…"' I cuddled into Pony's chest more, my eyes heavy with tiredness, '"…their long legs, booted to the knee and thick with saddle muscles, crossed negligently."' I would have kept listening, but I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of a camera shutter. Then another one and another one.

Fluttering my eyes open, I saw Sodapop at the foot of his and Pony's bed with a Polaroid in hand and 3 developing pictures laying in front of him.

Feeling me stir, Pony opened his eyes too, groaning when he saw Soda's devilish grin, "What're you doing, Soda?"

"Takin' pictures of my adorable little brother and his girlfriend cuddling at twelve in the afternoon."

"It's noon?", I asked groggily, wiping my eyes careful as to not get mascara everywhere. Then I remembered that my mascara must be all over my face from crying earlier and I didn't need to be careful.

"You betcha", Soda said cheerfully.

"Why're you back then, Soda? Shouldn't you be at the DX?", I asked, sitting up.

"It's lunch break. I forgot mine this morning so I came back here to grab it and go back to work and when I came in here to grab something, I saw Pony and you cuddling in bed. Are y'all ditching school?"

"No", Pony responded, sitting up and pulling me into his lap, "Lily wasn't doin' too good earlier and she wanted to come here."

"What's wrong? Is she sick?'

"Reality kinda hit her like a train."

"Awwe, I'm sorry that happened, doll. You can stay here today if you want."

"I was already planning on it", I smirked at Soda.

Soda smiled at us before saying, "You two were in bed together…Nothing happened, right?"

"No!", Pony and I exclaimed, much like we had earlier when Two-bit came in. That reminded me…

"Soda", I said, my face still bright red, "If Two-Bit tells you anything, don't listen, okay?"

"And what exactly would he be telling me?"

"We'll tell you when you come home from work. Now, go back to the DX. Steve's probably waiting."

Sodapop had a confused expression on his face as he walked out of his and Pony's room.

"Y'all can keep one of the photos each!", he called as he ran out the door.

I crawled across the bed and picked up the pictures. In each one, Pony was lying on his back with _Gone with the Wind_ lying opened on his stomach, bending the spine. I was curled up next to him, my head on his chest along with one of my hands as his arm was wrapped tightly around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. He must have fallen asleep after me.

Soda was going back to his Sodapop-ish self, slowly, but surely. You could tell that talking to Darry and Pony last night had taken a little weight off his shoulders.

"We should probably get up now, Pony", I told him.

"No", he whined, leaning across the bed, grabbing me, and pulling me back down with him, causing me to laugh, "I want you to stay with me."

"Why don't we have lunch?", I asked, turning my body to face his.

My idea seemed to perk him up a little. He hadn't been eating very much lately, but he needed to. He was becoming too skinny. Pony opened his eyes to look at me when I spoke, green meeting brown.

"As long as you're with me", Pony said.

"You have to get up first, Honey", I told him, running a hand through his greased hair, messed up a little from sleep.

"Fine", Pony sat up, stretched, and stood up before walking over to the other side of the bed where I was, "Aren't you comin'?"

I smirked, "Maybe I'll just stay here for a bit."

"Oh, no you don't", Pony picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, making me squeal.

"Pony", I giggled, pretending to put up a fight by softly hitting his back with my fists, "Put me down!"

He walked to the kitchen with me and when we got there, he flipped me over so he was carrying me bridal style, "No."

"Why not?", I asked, putting my hands around the back of his neck to keep me up.

"Because if I did, I wouldn't be doing my job as your boyfriend."

"And what is that job, exactly?"

"To never let you down", Ponyboy answered as he set me on the counter.

"You're too sweet, love."

"I try", he responded with a smirk as he stood between my legs before giving me a kiss, "Now, what do you want for lunch, darlin'?"

"I dunno."

Pony's eyes widened for a second before he started scrambling around the kitchen.

"What's wrong?", I asked, concerned.

"Do you know what today is?"

"October eighth?"

"Uh-huh. Do you know what October eighth is?"

I thought for a second before realizing, "It's Sodapop's birthday!"

"Yep. We need to make a cake. I already have a present for him, but I don't know about you", Pony rambled as he searched through the ice box and cabinets for the cake ingredients.

I hopped off the counter and ran to Pony and Soda's room. I changed back into my regular clothes and ran into the kitchen as I tried to put a shoe on, hopping on one foot the whole way, "Pony, get your shoes on."

"Why?", he asked.

"I need to go back to my house to get Soda's gift and I'm sure as hell am not going alone."

Pony looked confused before presumably remembering that walking from house to house was how I got jumped when he and Johnny were in Windrixville, "On it."

I knew we needed to be fast to be able to come back with enough time to make the cake and possibly dinner.

He went into his room and grabbed his Converse, coming back into the kitchen and putting his foot on a chair to tie them. When he finished, he grabbed my hand, "Let's go."

 **It happened! They said "I love you" to each other! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Lots of school stuff (for lack of a better word). I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter since I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. This is the final chapter with actual lines from "The Outsiders" book. Rights for the song "Love Me Tender" go to Elvis Presley, rights for the lines from "Gone with the Wind" go to Margaret Mitchell, and of course, rights for "The Outsiders" go to the wonderful S.E Hinton. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	20. Chapter 20

Ponyboy held my hand the entire way to my house. I knew my dad was at work at that point and the twins were at school which meant my mom would be home.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?", Pony asked as we walked down my street.

"If I'm allowed to, then yes."

"I'm sure Soda and Darry will say yes, so it's up to your parents."

"I'll ask my mom when we get to my house. She's gonna be the only one home."

We walked up my walkway and I knocked on my door. My mom opened it and immediately looked confused and concerned, "Lily? Why aren't you at school?"

Pony answered for me, "This morning when we were going to school, Lily kinda broke down. We've been at my house since then."

Mom's face softened up, "I guess that's okay. She's been on her best behavior, right?" She gave me a joking look.

"It's only been her and I in the house since about seven-fifteen and she certainly hasn't been bothering me", Pony said, looking at me during the last part.

I smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back to my mom. She was smiling lightly.

"I need to grab something, then we'll be going back", I told her.

She nodded and moved out of the doorway, remembering she was blocking the door for us.

I raced to the stairs, dragging Pony behind me as I went up to my room. I went into my room and started looking for Soda's present which I had forgotten the placement of.

Pony stood at my doorway, looking around my room.

I turned and cocked an eyebrow at him, "Something wrong?"

He seemed to realize that he hadn't moved, "No, nothing's wrong. Your room just looks… I dunno different to me."

"Different?", I asked for clarification as I turned back and continued searching.

"Yeah. I've never been in a girl's room before."

I laughed, "What's so different about it?"

"For one, it's way neater than a boy's room."

"I will agree with that."

"And second, it's not really anything like what the gang has told me a girl's room is like."

"And what exactly is a girl's room like according to the gang?"

"They all say that it reeks of gross perfume, there are posters of boys everywhere along with makeup, shoes and clothes and stuff thrown all over the place, has stuffed animals everywhere, and is full of pink stuff."

I laughed again, "Not all girls are the same, ya know."

"That's true", Pony said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist as he buried his head into my neck, putting a kiss on my shoulder.

"I'm not a huge fan of pink. I rather light blue. There are some clothes on my bed from when I was picking out my outfit this morning and I have makeup. It's on my desk. I don't usually use much unless I have a show. That's when I have to wear stage makeup and look like a clown."

Pony laughed into my hair.

"I have a few stuffed animals, but most of them are from when I was little. I don't need posters of Elvis or James Dean or Paul Newman on my walls. The only boy that's not in my family that is in my life is you, Honey."

I could feel Pony smile into my neck.

"I love you", I heard him mutter.

"I love you too", I said, turning my neck so I could kiss his head.

"Your room does smell a little like perfume, though", he said.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?", I giggled.

"Good. Your perfume smells like vanilla. And it's not really strong."

"You should smell the girls' locker room at school. Whew! The perfume is so strong, it gives you a headache!"

Pony smirked, "Well, I don't plan on going into the girls' locker room."

That's when I found Soda's gift, "Aha!", I yelled, making Pony jump against me.

"Sorry, love", I laughed.

"It's okay, darlin'. What'd you get him?"

"Just seven dollars in an envelope. Nothing much."

"I'm sure he'll like it. It's Sodapop, for Pete's sake."

"I suppose you're right. That reminds me…", I walked out of my room and to the top of the stairs, "Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?", she called back from the first floor.

"Can I stay over Pony's tonight?"

"As long as you're on your best behavior and his brothers are alright with it."

"My brothers will be fine with her staying over", Pony assured her, coming up behind me to talk to her, "She's a member of the gang. We all love her. And even if her behavior was bad, it doesn't compare to a bunch of teenage boys."

I laughed, "True."

My mom laughed too, "You can go."

"Yes!", I exclaimed, running back into my room to pack with Pony following, chuckling and shaking his head at my antics.

I grabbed a bag and started rummaging through my closet, finding some clothes for tomorrow along with undergarments, socks, and shoes. I got my hairbrush with some elastics and pins and my toothbrush and toothpaste and some toiletries. During this whole ordeal, Pony was sitting on my bed with an amused smile on his face.

I stopped my running around and looked at him, "Do you need something?"

"Nope. Just watching my wonderful girlfriend run around her house like a chicken with its head cut off."

"I like to be prepared. Do you think I should bring a book?"

That's when he seemed to realized the shelves of books next to him, "You sure have a lot of books."

"So do you, love."

"I know, but mine are just in big piles. Yours are organized so you can see just how many you have", he said as I walked next to the bed and looked at the assortment of books, tilting my head to the side so I could read the titles on the spines.

Pony got up and started looking with me.

"What about this one?", he asked, pointing to _The Secret Garden_.

I shook my head in response and continued looking.

"This one?", he pointed to _Pride and Prejudice_.

I shook my head again.

"What about this? Isn't it your favorite book?", Pony asked. I looked to see what book he was talking about and saw him pulling out _Little Women_.

"Why didn't I think of that! Good idea."

Pony handed me the book and I put it in my bag along with Soda's present. We both ran downstairs and almost crashed into Mom.

"Have fun, but not too much fun and use your head, Lily", she reminded me.

"Of course", I responded while walking to the door.

"It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Smith", Pony called as we hurried.

"You too, dear. Love you, Lily."

"Love you too, Mom! Bye!"

With that, Pony and I ran out of my house and back to his.

"'Use your head' ?", Pony repeated my mom's instructions as we ran.

"Yup."

"You don't use yours either?"

"According to my mom, not at all. I guess I have no common sense and all that went to my book smarts."

Pony laughed, "Your mom and Darry would get along great."

We burst through the door and he ran straight to the kitchen and I ran to his and Soda's room to put my bag there before joining him. We had only been at my house for about 7 minutes, but that still meant we had been out of the Curtis house for almost half-an-hour. Pony and I quickly got to work, taking out all the ingredients. Pony knew how to make cake from making it with his parents and brothers, but I was not terribly skilled in the kitchen. I only knew the basics.

I flipped my head upside down and pulled my hair into a ponytail. When I put my head back up, I saw Pony muttering to himself, making sure he had all the ingredients. I walked over to him, "Are we good?"

"I think so. Let's make a cake."

Pony mixed together the dry ingredients while I handled the others. As I cracked the last egg into the bowl, Pony poked my cheek. I looked at him confusedly and wiped my cheek with the back my hand, to see what I recognized as flour come off on my hand.

"Really, Pony?"

"Yes, really", he smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him, "You're so immature."

"But you still love me."

"Touché", I said while mixing the ingredients together.

"You don't even have French."

"Pero tengo la clase de español, cariño. Tú tienes la clase de español también."

"Cierto, mi amor", Pony responded, "Déme el tazón por favor."

"Sólo si me das un beso", I taunted.

"Por supuesto, mi amor", Pony said, leaning in and giving me a kiss.

"Aquí tienes", I told him as I gave him the bowl of wet ingredients.

"Gracias, mi amor."

"De nada, cariño."

"If someone just walked in on us speaking Spanish, they'd be so confused", Pony laughed.

"Very true."

"I love it when you speak Spanish. It sounds so beautiful", Pony said.

"Thank you."

As we were cooking, Pony accidentally wiped some batter on his face which made me start laughing.

"What're you laughing at?", he questioned.

"Pony, Honey, you have batter on your face."

"Where?"

"Here, I got it", I said, walking up to him and wiping the batter off his forehead, chin, and cheek, "How did you get so much on you?"

"I honestly have no idea", he laughed.

"Do I have any on me?"

"Yeah. Right here", he said, wiping it off my nose, "and right here". He kissed the corner of my mouth before kissing me on the lips.

"Well, aren't you cheeky", I giggled.

"Yes, yes I am."

Pony put the cake into the oven and turned on the timer before we both went and washed the cake ingredients and better off our hands, "What do you want to do while we wait?"

"Sit on the couch, I'll be there in a minute", I told him. Pony did as I said as I went into his and Soda's room and grabbed _Little Women_ before going back onto the living room and plopping onto the couch next to him.

"It's my turn to read now", I said.

"Okay."

I moved myself so my head was on Pony's lap and my legs were hanging off the arm of the couch.

" 'Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents', grumbled Jo, lying on the rug", I started, " 'It's so dreadful to be poor!', sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

'I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of things, and other girls nothing at all', added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

'We've got Father and Mother, and each other', said Beth contentedly in her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, 'We haven't got father, and shall not have him for a long time.' She didn't say perhaps never, but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, 'You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don't.' And Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.

'But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be helped much by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy _Undine and Sintram_ for myself. I've wanted it for so long', said Jo, who was the bookworm.

'I planned to spend mine in new music', said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth brush and the kettle holder.

'I shall get a nice box of Faber's drawing pencils. I really need them', said Amy decidedly."

I moved the book to look at Pony, who was smiling, "Keep going", he encouraged.

" 'Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she didn't wish us to give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and have a little fun. I'm sure we work hard enough to earn it', cried Jo, examining the heels of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner.

'I know I do- teaching those tiresome children nearly all day, when I'm longing enjoy myself at home', began Meg, in the complaining tone again.

'You don't have half such a hard time as I do', said Jo, 'How would you like to be shut up for hours with a nervous, fussy old lady, who keeps you trotting, is never satisfied, and worries you till you're ready to fly out the window or cry?'

'It's haughty to fret, but I do think washing dishes is the worst work in the world. It makes me cross, and my hands get stiff, I can't practice well at all.' And Beth looked at her rough hands with a sigh that anyone could hear that time.

'I don't believe any of you suffer as I do', cried Amy, 'for you don't have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don't know your lessons, an laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn't rich, and insult you when your nose isn't nice.'

'If you mean libel, I'd say so, and not talk about labels, as if Papa was a pickle jar', advised Jo, laughing.

'I know what I mean, and you needn't be satirical about it. It's proper to use good words, and improve your vocabulary', returned Amy with dignity.

'Don't peck at one another, children. Don't you wish we had the money Papa lost when we were lit;e, Jo? Dear me! How happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries!', said Meg, who could remember better times.

'You said the other day you thought we were a deal happier than the King children, for they were fighting and fretting all the time, in spite of their money.'

'So I did, Beth. Well, I think we are. For though we do have to work, we make fun of ourselves, and are a pretty jolly set, as Jo would say.'

'Jo does use such slang words!', observed Amy, with a reproving look at the long figure stretched on the rug.

Jo immediately sat up, put her hands in her pockets, and began to whistle.

'Don't, Jo. It's so boyish!'

'That's why I do it.'

'I detest rude, unladylike girls!'

'I hate affected, niminy-piminy chits!' "

Pony started laughing at the March sisters' argument.

"Do you realize when this takes place?", I asked.

"During the Civil War."

"Yeah. Which means that while Scarlett O'Hara was lounging on her porch with her suiters in Georgia, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy were waiting for their father to come back from war in Massachusetts."

"That's weird to think about", Pony stated.

"I know, right?"

That's when the kitchen timer went off, making me jump out of my skin.

"I guess the cake's done", Pony chuckled.

"I guess so." I closed my book and set it down on the coffee table. I walked into the kitchen to see Pony taking the cake out of the oven very careful with oven-mits. He practically dropped the cake onto the counter.

"What on Earth are you doing?", I laughed.

"I don't wanna get burned", he defended himself.

"Get the icing out, weirdo."

"You wound be, darlin'. You really do", Pony said, dramatically clutching his chest.

I rolled my eyes, "Just get the icing", I laughed.

He did as I asked and brought the icing back to the counter.

"What time is it?", I asked.

"One-forty-five. Why?"

"I just wanna know how much time we have 'til everyone gets home."

We let the cake cool off before frosting it. Grabbing a butter knife for each of us, Pony and I took the frosting and slathered it all over the cake, licking the spoons and putting the cake in the ice box afterward. By that time, it was 2:30. Darry, Sodapop, and Steve all got back at 5 and Two-Bit would come back at some point for dinner and cake.

Ponyboy and I decided to go to his room so he could work on his theme for Mr. Syme. I was going to help him. We both sat down on his bed.

"So you started it already?", I asked.

"Yeah. Last night at about eleven o'clock. Mr. Syme said it had to be at least five pages."

"That shouldn't be too hard. What did you decide to do it about?"

"What's happened the past month or so."

"Um, okay. When are you starting it?"

"When I got jumped coming home from the movies."

"Can I see what you've written so far?"

"Sure", Pony shuffled through some papers before handing me one, "I didn't get very far since it was late."

"It's fine", I held the paper in my hands and read the first line aloud, "When I walked out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. "

"Whaddya think?"

"I've only read one line so far, but it's a great one line", I laughed.

Pony smirked at me.

"Pony?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"Can you not include me in the theme?"

"Why?", he asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"If you do, I'm afraid Mr. Syme will think it's a romance thing. And if you just write about you and the gang, you can get more detail in since you've known them all longer than me."

"Are you sure you don't want to be included?", Pony asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I hope I'm not offending you or anything."

"Of course not. Besides, I'll do anything for my princess", he said, leaning forward and kissing my nose then my lips. I smiled into the kiss, cupping his face with my hands.

We spent a good two hours working on his theme together before we heard someone come in.

"Who is it?", I called.

"Soda and Steve!", Soda called back.

Pony and I looked at each other, confused before running into the kitchen.

"Y'all are home early", Pony stated.

"It was a slow day, so the boss let us out early", Steve said, reaching into the ice box to grab a soda. When he got the soda, he looked at Pony and I with a confused expression and we knew he'd seen the cake. Sodapop was in the living room on the couch, so Pony whispered, "The birthday cake. Don't tell him."

Steve nodded his head and walked into the other room to talk to Soda. At 4:45, Two-Bit decided to make his entrance.

"Lucy, I'm home!", he called, slamming open the door. He ran over to me, picked me up, and spun me around, "Hey, Lucy! How's Little Ricky been?" He mussed up Pony's hair, earning himself a scowl.

"Two-Bit, I swear on all things holy, if you don't put me down right now, you're gonna get the whoopin' of a lifetime."

Pony started snickering as Two-Bit put me down and ran into the living room to bother the birthday boy and Steve.

"Aren't Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez divorced?", I asked, laughing.

"Yup. They have been for five years. I have no idea why Two-Bit just did that. He's probably drunk again."

I shrugged, knowing that was an almost everyday occurrence, "Probably."

Darry came home at five on the dot and made dinner. Soda's favorite, chicken with gravy and rice.

"Hey, Darry?", Pony asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can Lily stay over tonight?"

"Sure as long as her parents are alright with it."

"They are."

We all sat down at the table and ate until Two-Bit piped up, "Hey y'all! Guess what!"

Pony and I looked at each other and intertwined our fingers under the table, knowing what he was going to say.

"What is it this time, Two-Bit?", Darry asked, tiredly.

"Pony and his gal were about to get it on earlier!"

Everyone practically spit out their drinks as I pinched the bridge of my nose with my free hand and Pony ran his free hand across his face.

"Keith, I told you already", I said, frustrated, "That's not what happened."

Soda looked at us, "So this is what you were talkin' about earlier."

Darry stared at him, "You knew about this?"

"They didn't tell me anythin'. They just said to not believe anything Two-Bit told me."

Darry rubbed his temples, "Will one of you please enlighten me as to what really happened?"

"This morning on our way to school", Pony started, "Me and Lily were talking and I showed her something. The something was a letter from Johnny that I found last night. He wrote it to me before he died. When she read it, she broke down. I don't think reality really hit her until then and it hit her real hard. I had to calm her down. She couldn't go to school and she didn't wanna go back to her house, so I brought her here 'cause it's where she wanted to go. Two-Bit was here when we came in. He said hi. We said hi. He asked if we were ditching which we weren't and he told us he might be goin' so we would be here alone. We went into me and Soda's room and I asked Lily if she wanted to change out of her school clothes", Pony looked at me to continue the story.

"Pony asked if I wanted to change", I continued, "but I didn't have any other clothes so he said I could wear some of his. he faced the wall so he wouldn't see me and when I was unzipping my skirt, the zipper got caught on my blouse. I asked Pony to get it unstuck. He was leaning down behind me getting it unstuck and right when he fixed it, Two-Bit walked in to tell us he was going. He asked Pony if he was about to 'get some' and we both of course said no. He left and I changed with Pony facing the wall again."

"Oh thank God", Darry muttered.

"I have pictures!", Soda cried and ran to get them.

"Oh dear", I murmured.

Soda ran back and gave them to Darry who looked confused.

I started to explain before he even asked, "After I changed, Pony and I lay down on the bed and talked. I started crying again and Pony had to calm me down again. He started reading Gone with the Wind to me and I fell asleep while he was reading. I guess he fell asleep after me. I woke up to Soda snapping pictures of us with the Polaroid."

"Them cuddling was too cute not to take pictures of", Soda defended himself.

"We did nothing more than that", Pony said, emphasizing each word.

Darry took a deep breath, "I believe y'all. Let's just continue dinner, shall we?"

A chorus of "Yes please"s took over the table and we continued eating and asking each other how our days had gone.

After dinner, Pony and I brought out the cake we'd made and stuck some candles in it and lighting them.

"Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear Soda,

Happy birthday to you", we all sang. Soda blew out his candles and we all dug in.

"Y'all did pretty good at this cake", Soda praised.

"Thanks. It was an interesting experience", I said.

Everyone looked confused.

"Pony and I kept messing around and at one point even started talking in Spanish", I clarified.

Darry smirked, "Speaking Spanish?"

"Sí señor. Nosotros tenemos la clase de español así que nosotros hablamos en español mientras cocinas."

"Ustedes son niños extraños", Darry answered back.

"Estoy muy ofendido", I joked, "No somos niños. Pero somos extraños."

Darry laughed at that. So did Ponyboy.

"Te amo, mi princesa. Mi amor", Pony said quietly to me.

I smiled at him, "Te amo también, mi amor."

Pony leaned over and gave me a kiss. After we pulled away, I saw Darry looking at us with a small smile.

Everyone in the gang except for Pony, Darry and I were completely lost as to what we were saying. They all just stared at us.

"Would y'all like something?", I smirked.

"You three were just speaking in rapid fire Spanish and then Pony kissed you and you want to know if _we_ would like something? Yes we'd like something! What in the world did you just say?", Steve busted out.

I told him about what Darry and I said to each other, but not what Pony and I said to each other. I preferred to keep that to ourselves.

"Can you sing 'Happy Birthday' in Spanish?", asked Two-Bit.

I nodded, "Feliz cumpleaños a ti,

Feliz cumpleaños a ti,

Feliz cumpleaños a refresco,

Feliz cumpleaños a ti."

Ponyboy started to snicker along with Darry.

"What's so funny?", Soda asked.

"She said 'refresco' instead of our name", Pony told him, "In Spanish, 'refresco' translates to soda, like the drink."

Soda rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you take Spanish?", I questioned Soda, and then to Two-Bit and Steve, "And don't y'all still take it?"

"Yeah", Soda laughed, "But I never listened. The only things I really remember are the greetings."

"And you think that me and Steveie over here pay attention in class?", Two-Bit asked, "You crack me up, doll. You really do."

"I try", I answered before eating another fork full of cake. I had to admit, Pony and I had done a pretty good job with the cake.

We all finished eating and Darry put the rest of the cake in the ice box, probably to be eaten in the morning. It was time for presents. I grabbed the envelope from my bag and put it on the minuscule pile of gifts in the living room. Soda sat on the couch with Pony next to him and me sitting on Pony's lap, his arms around my waist so I wouldn't fall. Steve and Two-Bit sat on the floor and Darry sat in his recliner.

Soda opened Steve's first. It was a car manual thing. Then he opened Two-Bit's gift: a set of Legos that he had stolen. We all laughed at that one. Then Darry's: a new pair of Converse. Pony's gift was a baseball cap. Lastly, Soda opened to mine.

"I know it's not much, but I couldn't think of anything and with all that's been happening…", I trailed off.

Soda opened the envelope and smiled at me, "It's great. Thanks, doll". Then he leaned over and gave me a quick hug.

"Alright!", Two-Bit exclaimed, "Now that Soda's birthday is over, we can start planning for mine."

"Two-Bit", Pony sighed, "Your birthday isn't until June."

I laughed, "We still have another eight months."

"Darry's birthday is next", Steve reminded Two-Bit who was smiling goofily per usual.

"You can never start planning too early!", Two-Bit yelled.

"Let's hold off on the planning 'til after Steve's birthday, 'kay Two-Bit?", Soda responded.

"Fine", Two-Bit crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his bottom lip out in a fake pout.

"You're such a drama queen", I laughed.

"I know", Two-Bit said, standing up and striking a ridiculous pose and strutting across the room, "I should model for a fashion company or something. Or maybe recreate that scene with Marilyn Monroe standing over the subway grate."

"God, Two-Bit!", I exclaimed, laughing so hard that tears were coming to my eyes, "Please don't do either of those things!"

The gang was roaring with laughter.

"Have you even seen 'The Seven Year Itch'?", Pony asked, still laughing.

"Nope. But doesn't everyone know that scene? She looks damn sexy", Two-Bit yelled.

"You are such a stereotypical teenage boy", I told him.

"I know, right?"

We continued laughing and joking around until we settled down at about 7 o'clock. Pony led me outside to the back steps where we sat down. Pony lit up a cigarette and took a long drag.

"Do you remember what happened here?", I asked, hoping he would remember.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth to answer, "This is where I asked you to be my girlfriend and where we had our first kiss."

I smiled, "You remember."

"Of course, darlin' ", Pony grinned back, "How could I forget?"

"It's hard to believe that it's only been about a month. So much has happened."

"When was our one month anniversary?"

"October third?", I said shakily, more like a question.

"Sorry I forgot."

"I did too. Don't worry about it. You better remember a year, though", I joked.

"I will. I'll mark it on my calendar."

"Hey Honey?"

"Yeah?", he questioned.

"Can I try smoking one of your cigarettes again?"

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm. Can you teach me this time? Last time I was kinda winging it."

"Sure", Pony said, handing me one, "Now hold it like you hold a pencil."

I knew how to hold one, but didn't object, holding the cigarette between my index and middle finger like I would a pencil.

Pony flicked out his lighter and held it to the end of the cigarette, lighting it up, "Now put your end to your lips and suck in. Don't breathe in. Suck in like you're drinking something. But only a small amount."

I carefully sucked in a small amount of smoke.

"Now take the cigarette away from your mouth and breathe the smoke out."

I blew the smoke out of my mouth, watching it disappear into the air.

"There you go. Now tap it to get rid of the ashes."

I tapped it against another of my fingers.

"You have successfully just taken a drag of a cigarette", Pony concluded.

"Thank you, Mr. Curtis", I laughed.

"Just don't smoke to much. I don't want you getting addicted. They're bad for your health."

"I'm not planning on smoking regularly. I just wanted to try again and actually succeed at it.''

"Just make sure to put it out when you're done", Pony warned.

I smoked about half of the cigarette before dropping it on the cement step, crushing it with the bottom of my shoe.

I leaned my head on Ponyboy's shoulder and looked up at the stars. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him as he too looked up at the sky, his cigarette dangling from his lips.

"It's beautiful", I said.

"Yeah. It is. But not as beautiful as you."

"Thank you, love", I said, plucking the cigarette out of Pony's mouth and giving him a kiss before putting it back.

He looked at me with an amused expression, "You're such a weirdo."

"But you love me anyway. I'm your weirdo and you're mine."

Pony took his cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it, "True. I love you."

"I love you too", I told him.

Pony looked at me for a second before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine. Just like every time we kissed, fireworks went off in my head. I grabbed his face and deepened the kiss as he put his hands on my waist. We continued kissing for a good minute. Pony didn't lower his hands down to my butt or up to my chest, he just kept them on my waist. I knew he would never go any further without my permission. We were interrupted by someone clearing their throat at the back door. We quickly broke apart, blushing madly to see the entire gang at the back door, looking at us.

I dug my head into Pony's neck so they wouldn't see my red face.

"Lordy, Pony. If you had kept up for much longer, you would've sucked each other's faces off", Two-Bit guffawed.

"Really, Keith?", I asked, my voice muffled by Pony's neck, "I'm sure the rest of the gang has walked in on you doing much worse things."

That made everyone laugh.

I pulled my head from Pony's neck, "Would y'all like something from us?"

"Nope", Darry smirked, "Just wanted to tell you two that it's about ten o'clock and y'all should start gettin' to bed."

"Have we really been out here for that long?", I questioned, looking at Pony.

"I guess we have. We'll be right in", he said, the last part being spoken to the gang.

We stayed out on the steps for about another 15 minutes before going inside. I yawned as I stood up, making Pony smirk.

"You tired, Princess?"

"No, not at all."

"Sure you're not", he said sarcastically before wrapping his arms around me and giving me a kiss on the forehead.

When we got in the house, I walked to the direction of Pony and Soda's room to get changed. Pony started following.

"If you're coming in while I'm changing, you're facing the wall again", I told him. The gang was scattered around the living room and event though they weren't looking at us, I knew they were listening.

"Of course, darlin'. I'm not gonna make you feel uncomfortable. I just wanna talk to you", he reassured me. I saw Darry and Soda smile at their little brother's words while Steve and Two-Bit smirked, presumably thinking that I had Pony wrapped around my little finger like they had before the rumble.

"Fine. Let's go", I said, grabbing Pony's hand and leading him to his room, Steve and Two-Bit wolf whistling behind us and Darry and Soda telling them to shut up.

Pony closed the door behind us as I grabbed Pony's t-shirt and sweatpants from earlier off the bed.

I turned toward Pony and made a "turn around" gesture with my finger. He nodded and complied. I slipped off my shoes and tights as Pony began to talk.

"Where're you gonna sleep tonight?"

"I dunno. Probably the couch. Why?", I answered as I carefully unzipped my skirt, making sure not to catch in on my blouse again, and pulled it down.

"Steve is probably gonna crash on the couch tonight. You know he does most days."

"Then where would you suggest I sleep?", I questioned, unbuttoning my blouse.

"You could sleep with me if you want", Pony suggested.

"I couldn't do that to Soda", I said, slipping the blouse over my head and tossing it into my pile of clothes, "Especially not on his birthday."

"I don't think he'd mind. He could sleep with Darry."

I pulled the shirt over my head and the sweatpants up my legs, "You can turn around now, Honey."

Pony turned around as I pulled my hair out of its ponytail, it falling over my shoulders, before I ran my hand through it to rub the soreness out of my scalp.

"We'd have to ask him", I said as I looked in the small mirror on the wall, parting my hair with my fingers. I grabbed my brush and started brushing the hair on each side of my part.

"I'm gonna go take a quick shower", Pony told me, "We can ask Soda after."

We both walked out of the room, Pony going to the bathroom and me heading to the couch. I sat down and leaned against the arm of the couch, tucking my feet under me.

"What're we watchin'?", I asked Darry.

"Mickey Mouse. Two-Bit got to the T.V first so he got to pick the channel."

"Oh dear", I sighed.

I watched the T.V for about 10 minutes until Pony came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

"Two-Bit got to the T.V first?", he guessed, looking at me to answer.

"Yep", I answered.

Pony rolled his eyes as he walked into his and Soda's room to change, coming out in a t-shirt and sweatpants, much like the ones of his that I was wearing and sitting next to me on the couch.

"Lookie here!", Two-Bit exclaimed, "We gotta pair of twins in here!"

"She's my twin, Two-Bit", Soda said, "She looks more like me than Pony."

I laughed, "That's what you said when I first met you, Soda."

Pony rolled his eyes at us. He leaned on me and sat between my legs as I ran my hand through his damp, ungreased hair that was still blonde. His natural reddish-brown roots were starting to grow back again, though.

"You should leave your hair engrossed. I like it", I told him.

He tilted his head back to look at me, "You just like playing with it, don't you, darlin'?"

"Yeah, that too", I giggled.

"Good lord", Steve groaned, "Y'all are too cutesy. It's giving me pains."

"Oh, you poor baby", I cooed sarcastically.

Pony smirked at me as I continued playing with his hair, pushing it off his forehead.

"You do realize that you're the only one he let's do that, don't you, doll?", Soda questioned with a smirk.

I nodded, "I'm his girlfriend. I have special privileges."

"That is correct", Pony confirmed, "While I'm thinking of it, where's Lily gonna sleep tonight?"

"I said the couch", I offered.

"I'm crashing on the couch tonight", Steve argued. Pony gave me a look that said "I told you so". I rolled my eyes at him.

"I said she could sleep with me", Pony said.

"But it's you and Soda's bed and I don't wanna kick Soda out of his bed. Especially not on his birthday", I reminded him.

"It's alright with me, doll", Soda told me, "I can sleep in Darry's bed. We both get up at the same time for work anyway."

"Are you sure, Soda? I could just sleep in Darry's recliner or on the floor…"

"You are _not_ sleepin' on the floor", Darry broke in, "I'm fine with Soda sleepin' in my bed with me and you sleeping in bed with Pony as long as there's no funny business."

Pony and I blushed.

"Nothing's gonna happen", I assured Darry.

We all stayed up until 11 o'clock when Pony and I went to bed. I had started to fall asleep and kept nodding off. When Pony realized this, he stood up and picked me up bridal style, carrying me to his and Soda's room, saying goodnight to the gang.

Pony carefully lay me on the bed before going to the other side, taking off his shirt and laying down next to me, pulling me close to him with his chest to my back.

"Goodnight, Princess", he whispered.

"Night, love", I said quietly, barely even making a noise.

"I love you, darlin'", Pony said, kissing my cheek.

"I love you too, Honey."

I fell into a peaceful sleep in Pony's arms. That is, until I was woken by a scream.

 **Yay! Chapter 20! We've made it! I love writing the cute, fluffy things and I hope all of you enjoy reading them. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**

 **Spanish Translation-**

" **Pero tengo la clase de español, cariño. Tú tienes la clase de español también."— "But I have Spanish class, Honey. You have Spanish class too."**

" **Cierto, mi amor. Déme el tazón por favor".— "True, my love. Give me the bowl please."**

" **Sólo si me das un beso."— "Only if you give me a kiss."**

" **Por supuesto, mi amor."— "Of course, my love."**

" **Aquí tienes."— "Here you go."**

" **Gracias, mi amor."— "Thank you, my love."**

" **De nada, cariño."— "Your welcome, Honey."**

" **Sí señor. Nosotros tenemos la clase de español así que nosotros hablamos en español mientras cocinas."— "Yes sir. We have Spanish class so we spoke Spanish while cooking."**

" **Ustedes son niños extraños."— "Y'all are strange children."**

" **Estoy muy ofendido. No somos niños. Pero somos extraños."— "I'm very offended. We are not children. But we are strange."**

" **Te amo, mi princesa. Mi amor."— "I love you, my princess. My love."**

" **Te amo también, mi amor."— "I love you too, my love."**

" **Feliz cumpleaños a ti, Feliz cumpleaños a ti, Feliz cumpleaños a refresco, Feliz cumpleaños a ti."— "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to soda (literally meaning the drink), Happy birthday to you."**

 **In Spanish, there are 2 ways to say "I love you". The one that is being used is "Te amo". The other way is "Te quiero". "Te quiero" literally means "I want you" and is used primarily for family of friends. On the other hand, "Te amp" literally translates to "I love you" and is used mainly for your significant other and love of your life. I purposefully used the latter of these two to show the seriousness and actual love shared in between the characters.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry it's been a while. School's been keeping me busy. This chapter is going to be shorter than the last one, but the next one will probably be longer than this one. I love y'all and stay gold! - AthenaRavenclaw13**

I jolted awake at the blood curdling scream. I sat up and looked over to see my boyfriend as the source of the sound. Ponyboy was thrashing around on the bed and letting out small yells. He was having a nightmare.

Darry and Sodapop ran into the room as I was trying to shake Pony awake.

"Dammit", I heard Darry mutter under his breath.

"Pony, you're okay", I said, shaking him. He still wouldn't snap out of it.

Soda sat on the bed next to me, "Pony! Ponyboy! Wake up!"

I had an idea. I quickly leaned down and pressed my lips to Pony's. The kiss made him realize that I was there and woke him up. His eyes fluttered open and I pulled away. Pony sat up in bed with a kind of terrified expression on his face.

"You okay, Pony?", Soda asked quietly.

Pony nodded. I pulled him close to me, putting his head on my chest and running my fingers through his hair.

"Another nightmare?", Darry guessed.

Pony nodded again.

"Do you want us to stay or are you good with Lily?", Soda asked.

"Lily", Pony said quietly.

I smiled softly at him and gave the top of his head a kiss.

"You got him?", Darry asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks guys. Goodnight."

"Goodnight", Darry and Soda said before walking out of the room, closing the door behind them.

That's when I noticed my shirt getting wet.

"Pony, honey, are you crying?"

He began to shake his head.

"Love, I know you're crying", I pulled his head up so I could see his face. What I saw made _me_ want to cry. Pony's eyes were red from crying and his face was flushed. His lip was quivering a little. In all, he looked like a sad, injured puppy.

"Oh, honey", I cooed as tears continued to roll down his face, "Shh. You're okay. You're safe. I'm here."

"I remember this one", Pony said quietly, putting his face into my neck.

"Will you tell me what happened?", I asked, not wanting to push him.

"It…", he sniffled, "It was the church."

"It's okay. Everything's fine."

"You were in the church again…And I…I couldn't save you", he whimpered.

"Oh, honey. We're alright. I'm right here."

"I know, but I couldn't save you. I love you too much to let you go."

I turned my head and kissed his temple, "I love you too. So much."

Pony was still crying and I had to try calming him down in a way other than talking. Then I got an idea: I could do what he did to calm me down earlier. Sing.

"Love me tender, love me sweet;

Never let me go.

You have made my life complete

And I love you so.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me long;

Take me to your heart.

For it's there that I belong

And we'll never part.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me, dear;

Tell me you are mine.

I'll be yours through all the years,

'Til the end of time.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will."

The entire time I was singing, I ran my hand through Pony's hair and rubbed his bare back in small circles. By the end of the song, Pony was asleep on my chest. I carefully lay his top half on the bed and lay down next to him, facing him. I held one of his hands in mine and scooted as close to him as possible before giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"I love you, honey", I whispered.

Pony pulled me closer in his sleep and I quickly fell asleep too.

I was woken up again. But this time not to my boyfriend screaming, but him kissing my forehead and my lips. My eyelashes fluttered open and I was blinded by the light through the window. After blinking the sleep from my eyes, I saw Pony looking at me, his green-grey eyes searching my face. Both of us were still laying down.

I smiled lightly at him.

"I have awoken the princess with a kiss", Pony smiled.

"You sure have."

"I didn't know you could sing", Pony said, changing the subject.

I blushed, "I don't usually sing for anyone."

"You should. You're a wonderful singer."

"Thank you. So are you, though."

He shrugged, "I'm okay."

"You're better than okay, honey. Elvis has nothin' on you."

Now it was Pony's turn to blush, making me smirk.

"Are you feeling better?", I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah. You got me calmed down and I didn't wake up again."

"That's good. How long have you been up?"

"Only a few minutes. I was watching you sleep. Not in a creepy way, though."

I laughed, "Good to know."

"I have a philosophy that everyone looks younger when they sleep."

"Am I included in this philosophy?"

"Yes, you are. You looked so peaceful. So…Innocent. Like you had no troubles. Almost angelic."

I smiled at him, "When you're sleeping, you don't have to worry. It's the one time you don't really have to be bothered or feel stress about something. And I have to say, you look younger when you sleep too. Calmer."

"I almost didn't want to wake you up, but if we want any breakfast, we have to get to it before the gang", Pony smiled back.

"Is anyone else up?"

"Nope."

"Then we're doing breakfast?"

"Yep. C'mon", he gave me a kiss as motivation, which admittedly worked.

I stretched and got out of bed, grabbing Pony's waiting hand.

"I'm still tired", I whined.

"We can take a nap later", Pony assured me.

"Yay", I said, sounding monotone even though I was excited to go back to bed (stereotypical teenager, right there).

"You sound so excited", Pony said sarcastically, laughing as he got the cake out of the fridge.

"Believe me, I am. I like sleeping with you. You're warm."

"Thank you?", Pony said as if it was a question, not knowing if being told you're warm is a compliment or an insult.

"It's a good thing, Pony."

"Okay, good."

"What are we eating, exactly?"

"Chocolate cake."

"I will never understand how we stomach this stuff at breakfast."

"We?", Pony asked, confused.

"Remember how I stayed over when you and Johnny were at the church?"

"Yeah."

"You do realize that I sat through breakfast with the rest of the gang every morning. I ate what they ate."

"Oh yeah. Didn't think of that."

I rolled my eyes just as Soda and Darry walked in. Pony was in the process of cutting me a piece of cake. Darry immediately went to start a pot of coffee.

"Hey doll. Hey Pony", Soda greeted.

"Morning", we both answered.

"You got Pony calm real quick", Soda said, "I don't even think I've ever gotten him to calm down that quick."

"Thanks. I tried to do what I could."

"We heard ya singin'", Darry said from the coffee pot.

I felt the heat rise in my face, "I was tryin' to calm Pony down so I sang to him."

"You're good", Soda commented.

"Thank you", I said sheepishly.

"That's what got me so calm", Pony broke in, "I fell asleep."

"Do you remember what the dream was about?", Darry questioned. I knew he was expecting the answer "No" since that was what the answer usually was.

"Mhm", Pony hummed as he set my cake in front of me, me giving him a "Thanks, honey" in response.

Darry's and Soda's eyes widened.

"You do?", Darry asked.

"Yep. And your welcome, darlin'", Pony said, answering Darry before me.

"Are you gonna tell us?", Soda urged.

Pony and I looked at each other before he shook his head, "I'd prefer to keep it between me and Lily."

"If that's what you want", Soda told him, "Now can I have some cake?"

We ate the leftover cake in mostly silence until Steve woke up.

"Why is it so quiet?", he asked when he walked into the kitchen.

"Because Two-Bit isn't here yet", I answered.

As if on cue, Two-Bit came bursting through the door, "Hello Curtis household!"

We all groaned, rolled our eyes, or both at him.

"I'm not feelin' much love here", he joked.

"It's seven-thirty in the morning, Two-Bit", Pony started, "There's not much love to give you."

I gave him a look.

"There's plenty of love between us, darlin'. But I'm sure as hell not givin' any of that to Tweddle-Dumb over here."

I started laughing and the rest of the gang soon followed.

"Did you finally tell her?", Soda asked after we stopped.

I cocked an eyebrow in Pony's direction.

"He means have I told you that I love you yet. And yes I have, Sodapop."

"Oh, my little brother's in love!", Soda yelled, then looked at me, "You said you did too, didn't you?"

"Soda, we discussed this weeks ago", I sighed.

"You did?", Pony asked.

"When you were gone. After I got jumped."

"Did my wonderful brother tell you how I felt?"

"Maybe…"

Pony smirked and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leaning over and kissing the side of my head.

"So you did say you did too, right", Soda repeated.

"Yes", I laughed, "I love him too."

"Yeah, yeah. I love everyone too. Now can me and Two-Bit have some cake?", Steve asked with a semi-pleading expression.

"Knock yourselves out", I murmured to him from Ponyboy's lap where I was currently sitting, my head nuzzled into his neck and my arms thrown lazily around his neck, my fingers tracing things along his bare back and shoulder blades.

"Pony?"

"Mhm?"

"Why do boys sleep without their shirts on?"

I could hear the gang snickering at my question and could feel Pony chuckling.

"That's a really random question, baby. What made you think of that?"

"You don't sleep with a shirt on."

"Yeah…And?"

"Why?"

"I dunno. It's just more comfortable, I guess. Why do _girls_ sleep with a shirt _on_?", he retorted.

"Because we can't roam around topless like guys can", I answered.

"There's this thing called a beach where they do."

"Which you've never been to since we live in Oklahoma. And besides they're wearing a top. It's a bikini top."

"And you have been to a beach?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When I was younger."

"Where did you go to the beach?", he questioned.

"We drove down to the Gulf."

"I haven't been to a beach, but I've been to a lake."

"That's the only place you can go swimming here other than a pool, honey. Everyone has been to a lake."

I picked my head up to look at Pony's face and saw an amused smirk playing across his lips.

"What?"

"You're so cute", he answered.

"Thank you", I said, giving him a peck on the lips and laying my head on his chest, my cheek at his collarbone and closing my eyes, "You are warm, though."

Pony laughed, "It's called body heat, darlin'."

"Then why are my hands always cold?", I retorted.

"Because mine aren't holdin' them."

I laughed at his kind of attempt at a pick-up line.

"Ahh. Young love", Two-Bit sighed. I opened an eye for a second to see him holding both hands over his heart.

"Keith, you're still young. You're only eighteen and a half. Technically speaking, you're a legal adult, although you sure as hell don't act like one."

"I'm very offended", he joked.

"Oi vey", I sighed.

"What does that mean?", Pony questioned.

"It's Yiddish for 'Oh boy' or 'Woe is me'", I answered.

"Yiddish?", Soda asked.

"It's a Jewish language along with Hebrew."

"Ahh. Got it", Soda said.

"How'd I get such a smart girlfriend?", Pony asked, kissing my head.

"Because we're both smart and both skipped a grade", I answered.

"True."

Darry, Sodapop, and Steve went to get ready for work (Steve always kept an extra DX shirt at the Curtis) while Pony, Two-Bit and I stayed in the kitchen.

"So y'all slept in the same bed last night?", Two-Bit asked suggestively, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, we did Two-Bit", Pony answered with a sigh, "And no, we didn't do anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we're sure."

"We slept together in the most innocent sense of the phrase", I confirmed.

"I had a nightmare, but that's the craziest thing that happened in bed last night", Pony told him.

Two-Bit looked a little concerned, "Were you okay?"

"Yeah", Pony shrugged, "Lily calmed me down…"

"Ponyboy, I swear to God if you tell him…", I started.

"Tell me what?", Two-Bit asked.

"That she can sing", Pony said, making me groan and softly smack his chest.

"I had to sing to him to get him to calm down and it put him to sleep", I muttered.

"But it put me to sleep in the best way possible", Pony said quickly.

I thought of something, "Pony can sing too."

"Really now?", Two-Bit's interest was peaked, "Can he?'

"God, you're lucky I love you, darlin'", Pony murmured.

"Yes he can", I told Two-Bit, "But I'm sure as hell not singing in front of people and Pony isn't either."

"Why not?", Two-Bit whined.

"Because neither of us are comfortable with it", Pony told him. I sighed and lay my head back on his chest. Ponyboy twirled a piece of my hair around his finger and in response, I ran a hand through his.

"Fine", Two-Bit groaned.

"Good", I said before putting a quick kiss on Pony's collarbone, "I'm gonna go get ready."

I got off of Pony and walked to his and Soda's room, knocking on the door as it was closed.

"Yeah?', I heard Soda's voice call.

"Are you and Steve in there?"

"Uh-huh. Why?"

"Will y'all be out soon?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm gonna get dressed."

"Okay. We'll be out in a minute."

10 minutes later, Soda and Steve finally exited the room. They had had a wrestling match and were making a bit of noise before Darry told them to quit it and get out of the room.

I scurried into the room and pulled out my bag which had been tossed to the other side of the room by the boys. I pulled out the jeans, and blue t-shirt that I had packed and pulled them on, changing out of Pony's sweats and throwing my clothes from yesterday into the bag. I whipped out my hair brush and stood in front of the mirror, starting to do my hair.

"Darlin', are you decent?", I heard Pony ask from outside the door.

"Yeah. You can come in."

Pony walked in and got a confused expression at me doing my hair.

"What're you doing?"

"My hair", I said in an 'isn't it obvious?' tone.

"Well, yeah, I kinda got that. You look so uncomfortable, though."

"I'm doing a French braid, honey. Almost any hair style make you uncomfortable from holding your arms up for such a long time."

"Isn't there just one kind of braid?"

"Nope."

"That's confusing."

"I know, right?"

"What exactly does a French braid consist of?"

"You start with three strands at the top of your head and as you braid them, you add more hair to the sections until there isn't any more to add."

"That sounds complicated", Pony said.

"It's really not", I laughed, "Is there any reason in specific why you came in?"

"Oh yeah. I wanted to know if you wanted to go into town with me today?"

"What would we do?"

"Probably get something to eat. We could go to a movie or the library or a bookstore or something."

My eyes widened and I whipped around when he said "bookstore", "Yes. Let's go there."

Pony laughed at my eagerness, "I need to get ready if we're gonna go."

"Go ahead and get dressed. I'll keep my eyes closed", I assured him.

I sat down on his and Soda's bed and closed my eyes, covering them with my hands as well just so it was clear I wasn't looking. About 5 minutes later, Pony said that he was done. I opened my eyes and he was dressed in a red t-shirt and jeans. He was slipping on his socks and Converse which I already had on (I had brought them the day before along with the change of clothes and stuff).

I bolted to the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth before anyone else fro the gang was in there. Coming out after a few minutes, I saw Pony at the bathroom door waiting to do his hair.

"Do you have to grease your hair?", I asked.

"Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. I like your hair without the grease."

"How 'bout this?", he started, "When my hair grows back and has its usual color, I'll put in grease less often. How does that sound?"

I nodded, "I like that idea."

Pony wrapped his arms around my waist and put his head on my shoulder, "When we get back, we can take a quick nap before I take you home."

"I like that idea too."

"Good. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay." I pecked him on the lips before walking into the kitchen and plopping down in a chair. Two-Bit looked up from the newspaper's daily funnies to look at me. Soda, Steve, and Darry had already left.

"Hey, doll."

"Hi, Two-Bit."

"Something wrong?"

"No. I'm just tired", I told him, yawning almost on cue.

Pony came up behind my chair and put his arms loosely around my neck and kissed my head before resting his chin on it.

"Hey honey", I said, leaning my head back and giving him a peck on the lips, "You ready to go?"

"Yup. See you later, Two-Bit", Pony took my hand and intertwined our fingers as we walked out of his house and went on our way to town.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi! Sorry it's been so long! I've been trying to get this chapter done along with school work. This chapter is going to be shorter than the past few, but they'll get longer again, so don't worry. I feel like I don't say thank you to all of you enough. So thank you. All of y'all. From the bottom of my heart. I couldn't ask for better, sweeter, or more supportive readers. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**

Downtown Tulsa was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday. Maybe it was just because it was still early,

"Where to first, darlin'?", Pony asked me.

"I think you know my answer, honey", I told him, smiling.

"The bookstore?"

"Oh yeah. Let's go!"

I practically dragged Ponyboy down the street to the bookstore, him laughing at my excitement.

"Glory, Princess! You're like a kid in a candy shop!"

"I know, but I can tell you're excited too."

Pony smirked, "You know me so well."

"That's why I'm your girlfriend", I singsonged.

We went quiet so we wouldn't disturb anyone when we walked into the bookstore, the only noises being the bell over the door which rang with our entrance and our footsteps. There were a few people browsing the shelves, occasionally picking up books, looking inside of them and putting them back before continuing their search.

"Lily!", I heard someone say, louder than they probably should've.

I whipped my head around to see Ashlynn. She got a smirk on her face when she saw Pony holding my hand.

"Hey, Ash. What're you doin' here?", I asked, walking over to her and dragging Pony with me.

"I'm trying to find a book for school. Emphasis on trying", she looked up at Pony who was significantly taller than her, "And you must be Ponyboy."

He gave me a confused look so I explained, "Honey, this is Ashlynn, my best friend. I told you about her, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Y'all met when you were real little, right?"

"Indeed we did", Ashlynn smiled, shaking his hand, "Frankly, I dunno how I've dealt with her for this long."

"Gee, thanks, Ash", I said, rolling my eyes, "I'm really feelin' the love."

"It's what I do."

Pony was smiling at our banter, looking down at both of us since we were both shorter than him.

"You seem real nice", Ashlynn said to Pony, "But I'm afraid that if you hurt Lily, I'll have to seriously injure you."

Pony laughed nervously, "I'll keep that in mind, even though I wasn't planning on hurting her."

Ash snickered at his response, "Good. I gotta go. My mom'll be worried if I'm not home soon."

"Oh, tell her I say hi", I told her as she started on her way out.

"Will do. It was nice meeting you, Ponyboy."

"You too, Ashlynn", he told her as she walked out the door.

"Golly, you're well protected", Pony said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have the gang where you're basically everyone's kid sister, except me of course. Then you have your family where your dad threatened to make sure I'd never walk again if I did anything to you. And you have your friend who just threatened to seriously injure me if I hurt you."

"I guess so", I said to him.

"Shall we look at the books?'

"Yes!", I said, louder than intended, earning me a few nasty looks from the shoppers and clerk. I shrunk back in embarrassment and my face turned a bright red, getting hot.

Pony laughed at my embarrassment,.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed", he told me, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

"Thanks, honey", I practically whispered, not wanting to be a nuisance to the customers again.

Pony laughed again, "Darlin', you're fine. Let's go look at books, okay?"

I nodded and Ponyboy took my hand, leading me through the aisles until we reached the section of ones that looked interesting.

I pulled _To Kill a Mockingbird_ from its place in the shelf and opened it up to the first page. Pony came up behind me, giving me a small kiss on the neck and placing this head on my shoulder while wrapping his arms around my waist. I read, knowing Pony was reading over my shoulder, only turning the pages after waiting long enough to know that he was definitely done reading the page.

After reading a couple chapters, I closed the book, using my finger to keep my place and looked around for somewhere to sit. I found a small love-seat in the corner of the store near us and led Pony over, siting down and patting the spot next to me. Ponyboy sat down, scooting me out of my place before pulling me onto his lap. I opened the book back up and put my head on his shoulder. We continued to read until about Chapter 20 (which took over an hour and a half), when I was getting drowsy.

"You wanna get somethin' to eat, Princess?", Pony asked softly, shifting beneath me.

I nodded my head slowly.

"Darlin', you gotta get up if we're going to get something to eat", Pony smirked.

I reluctantly got up, covering my mouth as I yawned.

"Still tired?", Pony questioned.

"Mhm."

"We'll eat then go back and take a nap."

I yawned again, "Let's go. I'm hungry."

Pony took my hand and we started our walk from the bookstore to wherever we were eating. After about 10 to 15 minutes, we stopped in front of a small diner.

"How 'bout here?", Pony asked.

"Sure."

Pony held open the door for me as we walked in, me thanking him when he got in too.

"Table for two, please", he said to the girl at the counter.

"Of course. You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?", she asked Ponyboy.

I got a look at her. She had light blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair and her smile seemed almost permanently etched on her face. She looked familiar to me in a way.

Pony scrunched his brow together in confusion before a look of realization crossed his features, "Lizzie? Two-Bit's sister? I haven't seen you in a while. It's Ponyboy Curtis."

"There we go!", Lizzie exclaimed, "It was on the tip of my tongue. How are you, Ponyboy?"

"Good. We haven't seen you around lately."

"Yeah", she sighed, "I always either here or at school, although I wouldn't have to be if Two-Bit would just get off his last backside and work for a change."

"You're probably more likely to see pigs fly", I told her.

She gave me a smile.

"I don't believe we've met", she said to me, holding out her hand, "I'm Lizzie, although you probably already figured that out."

I laughed, "I'm Lily, Pony's girlfriend."

"Little Curtis over here got himself a girl?", she joked, lightly elbowing Pony in the ribs. I realized what looked so familiar about her. Her smile. Two-Bit had one like hers, but instead of Lizzie's smile being reckless and goofy like Two-Bit's, it was softer and sweeter.

Pony rolled his eyes at her, "You're not much older than I am, Lizzie. Aren't you only sixteen?"

"You got me there. Now, why don't I get you two lovebirds a table?"

She picked up 2 menus and led us to a table next to a window, coming back a minute later for our drink orders, "So what'll it be Lily? Horseman?"

I had to stifle a laugh before ordering a root beer. Pony got a Pepsi. When Lizzie walked away, I burst into giggles.

"Horseman?", I asked, laughing.

"It's a play on my name that she used to call me when we were little. Don't ask."

We drank our sodas and ate our food in the midst of talking and telling stories.

"Me and Johnny used to go to church all the time. Then one Sunday, I invited Soda to come. He wouldn't come without Steve and Two-Bit decided he would come too. So the five of us are at church, sitting in the back and since Soda can't stay still, he started fidgeting around and playing around with Steve, throwing wads of paper at each other and what not. That's when Steve 'accidentally' dropped a hymn book with a big wham", he clapped his hands together for affect, "Everyone there turned to look at us and Two-Bit waved at them. I haven't been to church since."

I laughed at his story, wishing I had been there to witness it and imagining how embarrassed Ponyboy and Johnny must have been.

"I heard my brother's name and had to see what he did this time", Lizzie said as she waltzed over to our table.

"I was just tellin' her about the time the gang came to church", Pony laughed.

"Oh yeah. He told me 'bout that. Said he got a kick outta watchin' your face go red as a firetruck", Lizzie said as she placed a milkshake on the table in-between Pony and I, "Here y'all go. It's on the house."

"Oh, you really don't have to-", I started before Lizzie cut me off.

"But I wanted to", she smiled, "And besides, how many times does the cutest couple in Tulsa come to my work?"

Pony and I blushed, making Lizzie laugh, "Enjoy, you two." And with that, she rushed off somewhere.

I sat on my legs to prop myself up more so I could get to my straw and Pony sat up straighter to get to his. After about 5 minutes I heard camera shutters for the second time in 24 hours. Ponyboy and I looked over to see who took a picture and saw Lizzie with a smile on her face and a Polaroid in her hand..

"What're you doing?", I asked, laughing.

"Takin' a picture of y'all", she answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. She handed me the developing photographs and I decided not to to question why she had a camera at work. Lizzie gave us a smile and walked off to the staff only area, probably to put the camera away before going back to the kitchen. The pictures were now almost all the way developed and what was showing up made me smile. Pony and I were on either side of the booth, drinking our shake and looking right into each other's eyes.

"Lemme see", Pony said. I handed him one of the now developed photos. He got a smile on his face before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He put the picture inside and took out 5 dollars to pay.

"You don't have to, honey-."

"But I want to", he said, cutting me off with the same words Lizzie had earlier.

"If you insist", I sighed. Pony smirked a little, knowing he had won this battle.

After we paid and said goodbye to Lizzie, we started our walk back to Pony's house. Luckily, no Socs bothered us.

When we got to the Curtis house, I almost jumped into Pony and Soda's bed, I was so tired. I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my jacket while Pony did the same. Pony got into the bed first and I followed shortly after. I kind of curled into the fetal position and Pony held me as I lay my head on his chest.

"Honey, remember to set an alarm or something", I yawned.

"Don't need to", he mumbled, "The gang is our alarm. It won't take much."

I laughed softly, "Mhm."

Pony lay a gentle kiss on my forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too", I whispered, a light smile on my face. And we fell asleep at noon.

Pony was right. The gang ended up waking us up at 3:30 when Two-Bit barged into the house, slamming the door.

I slowly opened my eyes, not wanting to wake up just yet, and saw Pony doing the same.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile when he saw me, making me smile too.

"How was your nap?", he asked, pulling me close to him.

"Good. And yours?"

"Good. I think Two-Bit's here."

"You don't say?", I said sarcastically.

Pony chuckled lightly, "C'mon. Up and at-em." He gave me a kiss on my forehead and sat up.

I groaned, but sat up as well, reluctantly getting out of Pony and Soda's bed and following Ponyboy into the living room where, to no surprise, Two-Bit was sitting on the couch with a bottle of beer in his hand, watching the T.V.

Two-Bit smirked at us, "What happened to you two?"

"We were taking a nap before you oh-so rudely woke us up with your slamming the door", I retorted.

Two-Bit laughed at my crabbiness as Pony came over and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my cheek.

"You missed", I told him, earning a laugh from both boys before Pony gave me a kiss on the lips.

"We saw Lizzie today", Pony said while placing his chin on my shoulder.

"Did you now?"

"Mhm. We went to the diner she works at and saw her. She didn't even really recognize Pony at first", I said, somewhere between a mumble and regular volume. I was still very drowsy.

Two-Bit took a swig of his beer, "Sounds about right."

"You wanna work on your theme, hon?", I asked Pony.

"Sure, let's get workin'."

He took my hand and led me into his room. For an hour and a half, we worked on it, Pony having me check his spelling and sentences. He sure could write fast. In the 90 minutes, he wrote about 5 or 6 pages. I fixed his spelling errors and encouraged him to keep going when he wanted to stop.

"Remember", I reminded him, "This theme is the only thing passing you in English at this point."

"Yeah", he sighed, "I know."

Darry, Soda, and Steve then arrived.

"Hey, Lily", Darry called, "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"If it's not any trouble."

"Of course not", he said, walking into Pony and Soda's room.

"Okay. Just let me get my stuff." I pulled on my shoes and jacket and grabbed my bag.

"Bye, Honey", I said to Pony, standing on my toes to give him a hug and a kiss, "I love you."

Pony smiled, "Love you too. See you on Monday."

I nodded, grinning while walking out of the room behind Darry.

"Bye, y'all!", I called to Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit.

The boys called back their various forms of goodbye and I walked out with Darry, sitting shotgun in his truck.

I buckled my seatbelt with an audible click and since Darry already had his buckled, he started to drive. I told him my address and he turned on the radio. Don't Be Cruel by Elvis started playing fairy quietly and I hummed along. Darry smiled a little at me and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat, eyes still locked firmly on the road. We were stopped at the lights about half way to my house. The colors of the priorly setting sun had dissolved into a midnight blue sky with dark grey clouds spotted above and across the horizon. I was still humming along to Elvis when I saw a bright pair of headlights out of the corner of my right eye, speeding in my direction. I heard Darry scream my name before it all went dark.


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm sorry that I made all of you so scared. Don't worry, nobody is dead or seriously injured as you will soon find out. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**

I woke up in a blindingly white room with a throbbing pain in my head. When I blinked a few times to clear my eyes, I saw my mother sitting in a chair next to me, her upper half on my bed with her head lying on her arms. I thought of what Pony had told me about how he thought that everyone looks younger when they sleep. My mom certainly looked younger than her 34 years. What had happened? One minute I was in the car with Darry while he was driving me home…there was a bright light…then nothing.

I moved my arm to prod my mom's arm so she would wake up, but found it in a cast. I decided to speak instead.

"Mom", I whispered, my voice hoarse, "Mom, wake up."

She scrunched her eyes closed before blinking and lifting her head up. She had to do a double-take.

"Lily!", she exclaimed, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug, "Oh thank God you're awake! I was so scared we'd lost you!"

"Mom, you're hurting me", I wheezed.

"Sorry", Mom apologized, releasing my from her grip and settling on holding the hand of my uninjured arm.

"What happened?", I asked.

Mom sighed, "Darry was driving you home. Y'all were at a red light and there was a drunk driver. Darry did nothing wrong. The drunk swerved and was speeding and hit your side of the car."

"Am I okay?"

"You have a broken arm, broken leg and a minor concussion, but nothing too severe."

"Is Darry okay?

Mom smiled, "Yes, Peanut. Darry's fine. He came out practically unscathed except for a sprained wrist and some cuts and bruises."

I sighed in relief, "Good."

"Dad wanted to be here, but he had to go to work. The twins are at school."

"How long've I been out?"

"Two days."

"I'm sorry I put you through all that trouble."

"It's not your fault, Lily. The drunk driver's the one to blame, that bastard."

I laughed a little at my mom's language.

"I wish we could take him to court", she said.

I stopped laughing, "Well, don't have that kind of money.

"I know. That's why I only _wish_ we could."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, I'm gonna go tell the doctor that you're awake. After he checks on you, you have some visitors."

"Visitors? Who?", I asked, but she was already out the door.

The doctor came in a few minutes later and checked me out. He said I would be in the arm cast for 6 weeks and the leg cast for 6 to 8. The concussion would be mostly healed in about 3 weeks. He also said that I could get out tonight. When the doctor left, Mom went out to get my "visitors". She came back with an exhausted looking gang. Pony was a wreck with dark circles under his eyes, his hair ungreased, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Oh God, Lily", he said, running to me and giving me a huge hug.

"I'll leave y'all alone", Mom said before leaving the room.

"Are you alright? What hurts? How long will it take-", I cut off Pony's rambling.

"Honey, I'm fine. Just a few broken bones and a minor concussion. Nothing I can't handle", I smiled, touching his cheek softly.

"I'm so sorry, Lily", Darry said, "This is all my fault". He looked distraught and almost as bad as Pony.

"Get over here, Darry", I said, motioning to him with my free hand. He slowly walked over to me and sat in the chair my mom had been in earlier.

"Darrel", I said, "You have to listen to me just like you did after Ponyboy and Johnny ran away. I'm fine. None of this is your fault. It was all the drunk driver. You did absolutely nothing wrong."

"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty. All of us were going mad with worry", Darry told me.

"If it makes you feel any better, I forgive you even though you did nothing wrong", I said.

Darry gave me a small smile, "I got a few days off of work from the sprained wrist."

"Good. You can rest that back of yours now."

All of us talked for a bit before the gang decided to let Pony and I be alone for a bit. All of them gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room, even Steve. Pony sat on the bed next to me, careful not to be on my uninjured side.

"I was so scared, Lily", he murmured, wrapping his arm gently around my shoulders and putting his lips to my temple.

"It's okay. I'm still here", I assured him.

Pony sighed, "I know, darlin', but I was still scared. I thought it would be five people in a year." I turned my face to look at him and saw tears in his green eyes.

"Oh, honey. Don't cry", I wiped the tears rolling down his cheeks with my thumbs, "I know. I know."

I pulled his head down with my good hand and coddled his head on my chest, trying to calm him down. Tears were coming to my eyes now as well. I realized with full force that I could have very easily died in that accident. What would my family have done? What would the gang have done? What would _Pony_ have done?

I took a deep, shaky breath to calm myself. Pony hugged me tighter, wrapping his arms around my waist and digging his head into my shoulder. I could feel his tears hitting my collarbone which my hospital gown didn't cover. Running my hand through his hair, I quietly sang what I had started to think of as our song, Love Me Tender by Elvis, to him.

Pony's shaky, ragged breaths became calmer and more even until he was breathing regularly. I had stopped crying too.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, darlin'", Ponyboy murmured, putting a gentle kiss on my neck.

"I don't know what I'd do without you either, honey", I told him. Pony sat up and I lay my head on his shoulder. He turned his head and gave the top of my head a kiss before tilting my chin up and kissing my lips.

After a little bit, we pulled away and lay back down on the hospital bed.

"I love you", I said, taking his hand in my good one.

"I love you too and I always will", Pony responded. I smiled when I realized he was quoting the song.

"I won't be at school tomorrow", I informed him.

"I guessed", he responded, "You want me to bring you the homework?"

I nodded, "Yes please. And the homework from yesterday and today."

"You sure you can handle three days worth of homework?"

I smirked, "I'm stronger than people take me for."

"I know you are. You're the strongest person I know."

Pony and the gang left soon after, leaving me alone again with my mom before she had to pick up the twins. They all came back and when my dad got off work, so did he. They all fawned over me and wouldn't leave me be. The doctor gave me one final check before clearing me to go home. I was incredibly happy that I would get to sleep in my own bed and not be surrounded by machines, bright lights, and doctors and nurses.

Pony came over the next day right after school to give me my missed homework. There was work from every subject and I was fine with everything but math which Pony had to help me with.

"God", I groaned, "I liked math so much better before algebra was involved."

Pony chuckled at my frustration, "I know. You got this, though, Princess. Now you move the x here and the y here…"

We went on like this until I understood it well enough to get the work done. I got through the English and history work very quickly. Ponyboy had to explain some new Spanish words and science terms to me. All in all, it was done by about 4 o'clock.

"You better get home. You don't want Darry worrying", I told him.

He shouldered his backpack, "True. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep. I love you."

"I love you too", Pony gave me a kiss and was gone.

I was confined to a wheelchair for the next 6 weeks or so. Ponyboy had to push me around to all of our classes and all the looks I got made me embarrassed. Luckily, Pony was a good sport about the whole ordeal. Schoolwork was especially hard since I wrote with my right hand which was the arm in the cast.

"There's nothin' I wouldn't do to keep you safe and comfortable", he told me one day which earned him a kiss.

I basically couldn't do anything for the time that I was in the wheelchair except go to school and come back and even then, my dad had to drive me on his way to work. Pony could tell it was taking a toll on me. Especially the fact that I couldn't dance for the month and a half. Maybe that's why he randomly suggested one Thursday during lunch that we should go on a date. It was about half way through me having the casts on. We were sitting on the school lawn, me in the wheelchair and Pony on a bench.

I put down my sandwich, "A date? Where? When?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. Anywhere you want I guess. And as for the date I was thinking Saturday."

"I'll ask my parents. Maybe we could go to the movies."

"Sounds good. We could go to Dairy Queen or something."

My parents said yes to the date when I asked that night. Ashlynn came over for a bit to keep me company.

"That sounds fun", she said as she scribbled down an answer on her homework. We were at the kitchen table since I couldn't get up the stairs to my room without help.

"Yeah."

"How're you gonna get there? Isn't Darry's truck totaled? Your dad'll be at work and you sure as hell can't walk there."

"Dammit", I muttered, "I didn't think of that. I'll talk to Pony about to tomorrow."

And that's precisely what I did. When my dad dropped me off the next morning, Pony was waiting for me as he always was. He had the same reaction I did.

"Dammit", he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You're right."

He scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking. I laughed at his expression.

"What?", he questioned with a confused grin.

"You're just so cute when you do that", I giggled.

"I try", he joked. He crouched down to kiss me, holding my face in his hands.

I put my good hand to his cheek. After about 10 seconds, Two-Bit and Steve came barreling towards us, making Pony jump back and stand up straight.

"Sorry to ruin your moment", Two-Bit smirked.

"No you're not", I said.

"True", Steve retorted.

Pony got a triumphant expression on his face and I knew he'd figured something out. It could've been a math problem for all I knew.

"Two-Bit", Pony started, "Is your car working?"

Two-Bit looked confused, "Yeah, why?"

"Lily and I are goin' on a date Saturday and we need a ride."

"I have to babysit you two?", Two-Bit whined.

"No", I told him, "You just need to drive us where we need to go and pick us up. 'Cause I'm sure as hell not rollin' around Tulsa in this…thing and nobody else can drive us."

The boys laughed at my aggression towards the wheelchair.

"Fine", Two-Bit relented, "I'll drive y'all."

"Thanks, Matthews", I said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah", he smirked.

Saturday came and I had my mom help me get ready since I definitely couldn't do it myself. the day before had been Halloween, but neither Pony nor I went trick-or-treating.

I ended up wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a sweater, and a jacket over it all because it was getting colder. The sweater and jacket were especially hard to get on because of my arm cast.

At 4 o'clock, Two-Bit's supped up car came rolling in front of my house. Pony hopped out and knocked at my door which my mom answered. They talked for a minute before Pony was led into the living room where I sat in the wheelchair, bored out of my mind and watching the T.V.

"Hey, darlin'", Pony greeted as he entered the room, "You ready to go?"

I smiled and nodded eagerly, "Yes!"

Pony came up behind me and started pushing me.

"Wait", I said, causing Pony to abruptly stop pushing.

"What's wrong?"

"Mom?", I asked her, "Can you please grab my necklace from my room?"

"Of course." She started up the stairs, knowing precisely what necklace I was talking about.

"Are you talking about the necklace I gave you?", Pony asked.

"Yup. I barely ever take it off, remember?"

"This necklace has gone through a fire, a jumping, and a car crash", he stated with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yeah. Isn't it crazy?"

My mom came down with the necklace in her hand, "Do you want me to put it on you?"

"I'll do it", Pony offered, my mom then handing him the necklace.

He came up behind me, delicately moving my hair over my shoulder and putting the necklace on me before moving my hair so it went down my back again.

"Thank you, honey", I said.

"Of course", he smiled, kissing my head as he went back behind the chair and started pushing again.

"Bye, Mom! Love you!", I called.

"Bye, Lily. Love you too. It was nice seeing you again, Ponyboy."

"It was nice seeing you again too, Mrs. Smith. I'll have her home by ten."

Pony pushed me out of my house and down the walkway.

Two-Bit was leaning against his car with a slight smirk, "Let's get 'er in."

When we got to the car, Ponyboy carefully picked me up bridal style and put me in the backseat of the car. Two-Bit folded up the wheelchair and put it in the trunk before coming back and sitting the the driver's seat. Pony slid in next to me in the back behind Two-Bit and buckled both of us in.

I smiled softly at him, "Thanks."

"No problem", he smiled backhand gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I saw Two-Bit roll his eyes at us through the rearview mirror, "Where to, lovebirds?"

"Dairy Queen", Pony answered.

Two-Bit started to drive. He pulled out a beer can, making my eyes widen as he took a sip.

Pony leaned over to me, "Are you okay?"

"I would rather him not drink and drive, Ponyboy", I murmured, stiffening a little.

Two-Bit looked at us quickly through the mirror, "Is everythin' alright back there?"

"Two-BIt", I started, "Can you please not do that?"

"Do what?", he cocked and eyebrow, his eyes still on the road.

"Drink and drive."

He seemed to realize what was bothering me and why. He put the beer can in the cupholder next to him.

"Thank you", I said, immediately loosening up and relaxing.

"Yup", Two-Bit said as an answer as he drove.

Pony grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. He brought my hand up to his mouth and softly kissed my knuckles, making me smile.

"I forgot you had scars", he muttered.

"Hm?"

"The scars on your hands from the fire", he clarified.

"To be honest, I forgot I had them too."

"How long do you think it'll take for the bleach to come out of my hair?"

"It doesn't necessarily 'come out' considering it strips the color out of your hair", I answered, "You either have to dye it a color or wait for your hair to grow out."

Pony groaned, making me laugh, "How long will that take?"

"Well, since boys' hair usually grows about half-an-inch a month and it's been about a month and a half already, I'd say…maybe about two more months, give or take, until your natural hair color is long enough for you."

Pony let out another groan.

"It's okay", I assured him with a laugh, "You'll always be handsome to me, bleached hair or not."

He leaned over and gave me a kiss.

Two-Bit stopped the car, making Pony and I pull away.

"We have arrived at your destination", Two-Bit said in a faux posh accent.

"Thanks, Keith", I told him, making him smirk.

Pony hopped out of the car and got the wheelchair out of the trunk, unfolding it, picking me up and sitting me down in it.

"Pick us up at the movie house at about nine. And no drinking", Pony instructed Two-Bit.

"Will do, Curtis. See y'all later", Two-Bit sped off in his car, probably off to the Curtis house.

Ponyboy pushed me into the Dairy Queen and bought us burgers with fries and sodas. We sat at a table, Pony in a chair and me in the wheelchair.

"Have you worked anymore on your theme for English?", I asked, sipping my Coke.

Pony nodded then held up finger for me to wait a second before swallowing and taking a sip of his Pepsi, "I spent most of the time waiting for you in the hospital writing."

"How long were you waiting for me?"

"From the night of the crash to the next night. Then I came after school the next day", he answered, eating a fry.

"I'm sorry I made y'all so scared and made you wait that long."

He took my hand across the table, "It's not your fault. It's not Darry's fault either, just like you said. It's that drunk driver's fault. And besides, you're alright and Darry's alright and that's all that matters."

"I still feel kinda bad."

Pony smiled softly at me, "Like I said, you're okay and Darry is too and that's all that's all that matters."

I smiled back at him, "I love you, honey."

"I love you too, darlin'. And I always will."

"Glory, it's had to kiss you when I can't stand up", I told him.

"Well", he laughed, "You're about a foot shorter than you usually are in that wheelchair."

"I can't wait to be out of these casts."

"I can't wait for you to be out of them either. Seeing you so frustrated and sad that you can't get up makes me sad too."

"You're so sweet."

"So are you", Pony said.

We talked for a bit before going to the movie house which was luckily only about a block away. Pony pushed me into the theater and bought our tickets and popcorn (much to my dismay since I didn't want him to spend too much money). We watched _The Sound of Music_ and both enjoyed it. Two-Bit picked us up at 9 o'clock, as promised and drove me home. Pony and him got me out of the car and Pony pushed me up to my house where my mom opened the door.

"So how was the date?"

"It was good. We had fun", I said.

"I'm gonna get goin', darlin'", Pony told me, giving me a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too, honey."

He walked back to Two-Bit's car and got in the passenger side and gave me a wave before Two-Bit drove off to the Curtis house.

Mom looked at me with a smile, "Love?"

"Yes, Mom. Love", I smiled.

"Oh, my little girl's in love!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.

"Can you say that a little louder? I don't think China heard you", I laughed.

"Let's get you inside." She pushed me inside and helped me take a shower (which was beyond embarrassing). Then she helped me change into my pajamas. Dad was home from work by then, so he carried me upstairs into my room. The twins were already in bed. They said goodnight to me and I said it back to them before they went downstairs. I had a light smile on my face as I drifted off to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

About three weeks later, November 21, I finally got my arm and leg casts off. I was so happy to be rid of them. I went back to dance the next night where Ashlynn was more than elated to see me.

"Never leave me here alone again", she ordered as she hugged me, "It's way too boring without you."

I laughed, "I'll try my best."

Ponyboy had been very happy that he could walk with me again instead of pushing me around since the wheelchair made me uncomfortable and unhappy.

The next day was the beginning of Thanksgiving break. I got dressed in a pink dress since it was a little warmer than usual with my black flats, my necklace, and my hair down my back. I ran down to the Curtis' house at about noon (after telling my parents where I was going, of course).

Pony opened the door with an amused smirk, "Well, you're strangely happy, darlin'. What's gotten into you today?"

I smiled, "I'm just happy that I don't have to be in those stupid casts or the wheelchair anymore."

He just wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my temple as he led me inside.

Sodapop, Steve, and Two-Bit smiled at me.

"You're not in the wheelchair anymore!", Soda exclaimed.

"I know! I got the casts off yesterday!"

Darry and Soda hadn't seen me as much during my injuries since neither of them went to school and they both worked full-time. Soda and Steve must've been going in late to the DX that day.

Two-Bit and Steve had both been at school yesterday, so they had seen me without the casts.

Pony led me into him and Soda's room after a while talking to the gang.

"Written more of the theme?", I asked.

"Actually, I think I finished it. I just want you to read over the last few pages."

"Glory, honey! This isn't a theme, it's a novel!", I laughed.

"True. 192 pages, I think", Pony said.

"Damn, Pony", I laughed again as he handed me the last few pages of the "theme".

I read them over and made a few corrections (mostly spelling) before handing it back to Pony.

"Thanks for not putting me in it, honey", I told him.

"Of course, Princess", he said back, giving me a kiss.

I sighed, "It's so nice not having to have you lean down to kiss me anymore."

"I like it better this way. You're just the right height." Pony wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me down onto the bed.

"At least we met after the stage where I would've been taller than you", I laughed.

"You're not going to be taller than me in the future, are you?"

"No. I'll probably only get up to five-seven or five-eight. And your parents must've been fairly tall since Darry's like six-two and Soda's about six feet."

He shrugged, "Dad was the tall one. 'Bout Darry's height. Mom was only about five-six."

"What were they like? Your parents?", I asked.

Pony got a smile on his face, "They were the best parents you could ever ask for. Dad was just like Sodapop. Fun and reckless, but responsible like Darry. Mom was a little stricter than Dad. I can still picture her nagging him, 'Darrel, you better not play too rough with the boys at football.' He'd just laugh, but follow her instructions, not wanting to make her mad. She was a little more like Darry. She looked more like Sodapop. Darry looked just like Dad. Everyone thought they were brothers. Except the eyes. Soda has Dad's eyes and Darry has his own. Mine are a little closer to Mom's but not much."

I smiled, "I remember you tellin' me that right before you asked me to be your girlfriend and we kissed for the first time. She sounds beautiful."

"Yeah. She was beautiful. And Mom always made cake. That's where Darry, Soda, and I learned. And there was always music in the house. Mom knew how to play the piano, but we didn't have one. She always wished that we had money for lessons. The radio was always on and sometimes after dinner Dad would start dancing with Mom around the living room and kitchen. She taught Darry and Soda how to when they got their first girlfriends, but never got to teach me."

He had developed a dreamy look in his eyes, as if imagining his father twirling his mother around the house. I pictured Mrs. Curtis's skirt billowing and her face in a huge smile, her eyes sparkling. Mr. Curtis had Soda's smile and laugh and both showed as he spun his wife to the sounds of the Curtis family radio. I pictured the three boys sitting on the couch, just watching their parents be in love. They were all younger. Darry was about Pony's age and had his small smile on his face. Soda was ten or eleven and was jokingly humming along to the music, his big contagious grin plastered on his young face. Ponyboy was only about seven or eight and he had that childish sense of wonder in his eyes as if wondering if this is what the princes and princesses in fairy tales looked like. He had a gap-toothed smile where he had lost some baby teeth. Even though I was just picturing the scene, I could feel and see the love Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had for each other in the way they looked at one another. By the way they smiled at each other. By the expressions on their sons' faces.

"Would they have liked me?", I asked.

Pony looked at me, his eyes looking a little glossed over from remembering, "Glory, darlin'. They would've loved you.

Dad would've been right next to the gang when they teased us for kissing. Mom would've adored you. She would talk to you the entire time you were at our house. She'd be teaching you how to make chocolate cake in the kitchen and Dad and I would laugh at y'all when you got flour everywhere. Then you'd both get flour on us as payback.

Dad would say that I found a good one and Mom would make sure I treated you right. They would've loved how sweet you are, your smarts, how caring you are, how you look out for the gang and I.

You and Mom would talk about girl stuff for hours and if you asked her for her opinion on an outfit for a date, she'd be helping you pick out the perfect one because she was just that dedicated to making people happy. You two'd be the classiest girls in Tulsa and Dad and I would both be wonderin' how we'd got so lucky.

She was like you. Same hair color and she carried herself with that same dancer's grace and elegance that you do even when we were driving her up the wall. And she was smart like you. Glory, was she smart! You could ask her any question on almost anything and she could give you the answer. Mom always had a book with her. Like she would be cookin' in the kitchen and have a novel propped up on the counter next to her.

And she liked to sing. Mom had such a pretty voice like you do. It didn't matter if she was singing or talking. Either way, her voice was beautiful."

I had started to cry.

"I would have loved to meet them", I told him.

"And they would've loved to meet you. Do you wanna see a picture?"

I nodded. Pony got off of the bed and walked over to his desk, picking up a frame with a picture in it. He walked back over and handed it to me, sitting down. I sat up next to him and held the picture in my hands.

It was a wedding picture. The newly pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were outside the church, just of the two of them. They both had elated, radiant smiles on their faces. Mr. Curtis was in a suit while Mrs. Curtis was in a beautiful while wedding gown. The sleeves went down to her wrists and were made of lace. The dress had a v-neckline made of lace over a sweetheart neckline of what looked like silk and and the silk carried down the dress, under the lace until it reached the waist where it was just silk. The lace must have carried on in the back since her train was lace as well. The train was moved to the side of her, cascading down the top church step. Even though the picture was in black and white, you could almost see Mr. Curtis's dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and Mrs. Curtis's dirty blonde hair and grey-green eyes shone through the photo. I think Mrs. Curtis had eyes like Pony's more than he realized. Her hair was flowing down her shoulders in natural looking waves down to her chest.

"When is it from?", I asked.

"Nineteen-forty three, I think."

"How old are they?"

"Eighteen."

"How did she get that dress? It looks pretty expensive."

"She was from a middle class family before she married Dad."

"He does look just like Darry", I whispered just loud enough for Ponyboy to hear me, "And she's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." I let the picture down on a pillow.

"Almost as beautiful as you", he said. I turned my head to see him looking at me. We locked eyes, green on brown.

"You definitely have her eyes", I told him.

Pony smiled before kissing me. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and I put mine around his neck, running my fingers through his currently ungreased hair. Pony lay down on the bed and I sat on top of him, straddling him. He put his hands on my waist.

"Pony, Two-Bit's goin' out and me and Steve are going to work", Soda called.

Pony pulled away from me for a second yelling back a quick, "Alright". Luckily. he must have been heard through the closed door of him and Soda's room since nobody came in. We heard the door open and slam shut and we knew they were gone.

I immediately crashed my lips back on Ponyboy's. He was shocked for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. Pony licked my lips, wanting to French kiss. We had never gotten this far before, but I knew we weren't going to do anything. I gave him access. My hands went from his hair to his shoulders as we French kissed. After we made out for about 10 minutes in total, we broke apart, breathing heavily. I realized I was still straddling Pony, so I moved to get off. He gently pulled me down so I was physically on top of him, our chests pressed together and our foreheads touching. Pony kept his hands on my waist.

"I love you so much, Lily", he whispered, opening his eyes and looking into mine.

"I love you too, Ponyboy. So much", I whispered back, looking at his green eyes.

"You're amazing, darlin'", Pony said.

"So are you."

We just stared at each other for a big before I talked.

"I love your eyes, honey."

He scrunched his eyebrows together at the randomness of my comment and blushed a little.

"I don't understand why you don't like them", I added.

He shrugged a little, "I dunno. Green eyes just don't make me look tuff, I guess."

"I think your eyes make you extra tuff and they're so pretty."

He laughed a little, "I'm glad you think so, Princess. Your eyes are pretty too."

It was my turn to shrug, "Not really."

"Your eyes are absolutely gorgeous. I love them."

"Do you really?"

"Of course. They make me melt every time I look at them."

I smiled and blushed, "You know how you said that your mom never got to teach you to dance?"

"Yeah."

"Remember that I still have to teach you how to dance", I smiled, pecking him on the lips.

He sat up, me on his lap with my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

"And when are we doing this, exactly?", Pony asked.

"Right now's a good time, don't you think? Nobody's home."

"Sure", he pecked my lips and stood up, my legs still around his waist and my arms still around his neck. I hopped down and walked into the living room, Pony following.

"I don't want to invade your parents' privacy, but did your mom have any heels?"

He looked confused, but answered, "Yeah. I think so. Why?"

"It's easier to ballroom dance in heels and that's how it's supposed to be done. But if you don't want to disturb your mom's stuff, I'm fine with that. I can dance in my flats if need be."

Pony smiled at me, "C'mon."

He led me down the hall to a room that I had never been in before.

"This was my parents' bedroom", he said, opening the door, "We haven't come in here much since the accident."

I softly smiled as we walked into the room. It was cozy. The comforter and blankets were still made and there were a few dresses lying on the bed. Mrs. Curtis must have had trouble picking out a dress. I smiled at the thought since I had the same problem.

Pony had stopped at what looked like Mrs. Curtis's vanity. There were a few makeup products out, but that wasn't what he was looking at. He was staring at a picture. A family photo, to be exact. It looked very recent. Sodapop, Mr. Curtis, Mrs. Curtis and Darry were sitting on a stone bench in that order. Pony boy was standing behind his mother, his hands on her shoulders. Soda was the black sheep with a short sleeve t-shirt on while everyone else had something over their clothes. Darry was wearing a leather jacket and an unbuttoned flannel with jeans. Soda had a t-shirt and jeans on while Pony had shirt with a sweatshirt over it and you couldn't see his lower half, but I had a guess he was wearing jeans too. Mr. Curtis had casual slacks on with a jacket and plaid shirt under that. He had a watch on his left wrist that I had seen Darry wear a lot. Mrs. Curtis was wearing a skirt and blouse with a wool coat over it. Her lags were crossed and her face was turned a little bit away from the camera, but she was smiling. All of them were, even Darry. Pony didn't have a smile as much as a slight smirk on his face. AsI looked closer, I realized that Mrs. Curtis had a hand on Darry's shoulder and the other one on her husband's. I smiled at the picture. It looked like it was taken at the park and seemed spontaneous.

Pony noticed me smiling, "It's one of my favorite pictures of all of us. Mom just decided to get someone to take a picture of us at the park. Me, Darry and Soda were about to play a game of football and she wanted a picture of us that day for some reason. She said she wanted to get it done before we got all sweaty and covered in grass stains. As you can tell, I wasn't too pleased."

I laughed a little, "You have always been impatient."

Pony laughed too, "Yeah."

He walked over to the closet and I came up behind him and hugged him from behind just as the smells of his mother's perfume and his father's cologne came rolling out.

I knew that he was probably going to get saddened by it, so I dug my head between his shoulder blades, "Are you okay?"

I could feel him take a shuttering breath, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

I walked to the front of him and saw his eyes watering up.

"Oh, honey", I cooed, wiping the first tear that fell down his face.

He put his head into my shoulder and I could feel his tears hitting my neck.

I turned my head and kissed the nape of his neck, "It's okay, love. You can let it out."

He picked his head up and stared at me for a bit, his eyes a little red and watery, "I'm okay. I'm gonna go into the living room and when you find the heels, I'll be waiting. Alright?"

"Alright", I said, standing on tip-toe to give him a kiss on the nose then on the lips, making him smile. He walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

I knelt down next to the closet, assuming the shoes would be on the closet floor. I was right. I didn't dare disturb anything that I didn't have to, so when I found a good pair of heels, I carefully picked them up and stood up, closing the closet door. I sat back down, this time on my behind and took off my shoes and slipping the heels on. They were t-strap heels and were only about two inches tall. I buckled them and stood up. Luckily, Mrs. Curtis wore the same size shoe as me.

I picked up my shoes and carried them as I walked, closing Mr. and Mrs. Curtis's bedroom door behind me. I walked down the hall and into the living room, the heels clicking against the floor. Pony sat on the couch, leaning back with his eyes closed as if he had a headache. When he heard me walk into the room, he opened his eyes and stood up, walking to meet me.

"It's weird having you almost as tall as me", he said.

I laughed, "That is it, honey. That it is. Would you turn on the radio please?"

He walked into the kitchen and turned on the radio, putting it up pretty loudly so we could hear it from the living room. He came back and we moved the coffee table out of the way.

"Okay, honey. Get over here", I instructed.

Pony walked over to me and waited for more direction.

"Give me your left hand", I said, holding out my right one. Pony put his hand in mine.

"Now put your right hand on my waist." He put his hand on my waist and I put mine on his right shoulder. I held his left hand with my right, not interlocking our fingers as we usually did when we held hands, and brought them up.

Pony looked a little confused, making me laugh.

"You have to keep your left arm stiff", I told him.

He stiffened his arm and so did I.

"Okay. For now I'm going to lead although you have to later."

I started with a waltz. It would a good beginner dance.

"One, two, three. One, two three", I repeated to the beat of the song that was playing. It was Elvis's _Can't Help Falling In Love With You_.

Pony stepped on my feet a few times, but other than that, was doing a pretty good job. He started getting a hold of the counts, muttering, "One, two, three. One, two, three" under his breath. I smiled at his dedication. The song had changed, but Pony still kept the beat, making me impressed.

"Keep your arm stiff", I reminded him when his arm started to drop. He quickly fixed it. Soon, he was the one leading, not me.

We waltzed around the room in the counter-clockwise circle that the waltz consisted of.

"That's not as bad as I thought it would be", Pony sighed.

"Let's swing then."

In the Mood came onto the radio.

"This is the really fun one. Just do side, together, side."

Pony stepped as I instructed

I smiled, "Now faster."

We stepped faster.

"Now faster and around ourselves."

We stepped in a circle.

I had a wide smile on my face, "Good!"

Swing dancing was definitely our best dance. It was the most fun too.

We hopped around for a while to the trumpets and drums of the song, me showing Ponyboy new steps as we went along. Pony let me go for a moment and I did some tap moves. He just stood there watching me have my fun before twirling me around the living room. We laughed as we spun and kicked, our faces going red from the exercise and the laughing.

Pony spun me into him and spun me out, the skirt of my dress flaring out (it was a good thing I had something under it). My ballet instincts kicked in as I did a double-pirouettte and some fouettes. When I landed, he grabbed me and continued. Different songs played as we continued swing dancing, even though most of them weren't even swing dancing songs. We finally collapsed on the couch.

"That was fun", I laughed.

"Yeah, it was."

We sat there for a bit, waiting for our pulses to slow down. The radio was still going, playing different songs. I heard the Beatles a few times.

Pony had gotten us sodas from the ice box to cool us down and we drank them as we listened to the radio.

After a good 10 to 15 minutes, we heard the opening notes to Love Me Tender.

Pony stood up and held out his hand, "May I have this dance?"

I smiled up at him, "Yes, you may."

He walked me to the middle of the living room and pulled me close, wrapping his arms around my waist and me wrapping mine around his neck. He spun me around a few times and walked me around him, but I always ended back in his arms. Right where I knew I belonged. At the end of the long, during the last few guitar notes, Pony dipped me and gave me a kiss.

The gang seemed to believe that now was a good time to barge into the house, startling both Pony and I so much that he almost dropped me. I yelped but he wrapped his arms tighter around my waist and carefully lifted me up to my feet.

"What are y'all doin'?", Darry asked as he walked in with a smirk on his face. The radio had been turned off. The rest of the gang was in the doorway as well now.

"We were dancing", I answered.

"Were you now?", Two-Bit asked suggestively, causing Sodapop to smack him upside the head.

"Yes we were", Pony said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Why on Earth were y'all dancing?", Soda questioned.

Pony and I flopped on the couch and grabbed our sodas again.

"When we first met", Pony started between sips of his Pepsi, "Lily told me she was a dancer. I told her that I wasn't that good, so she said that she'd teach me one day. We were talking about Mom and Dad earlier and how Mom taught y'all how to dance when you got your first girlfriends. She's not here to teach me, so we decided that today was the day that Lily would teach me."

The gang got sad smiles on their faces, remembering Mr. and Mrs. Curtis.

"Are you wearing Mom's shoes?", Soda, asked me with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah", I answered, clicking the heels together, "Heels are better for ballroom dancing."

Darry got a smile on his face, "Mom would've loved that. She would've loved that you taught Pony to dance. She would have been happy that you wore her shoes to teach him with."

"Will you show us?", Soda asked.

Pony and I looked at each other and nodded in mutual agreement, "Sure".

"Someone hit the radio!", I called out.

"On it!", Steve shouted back.

As if on cue, _Sing, Sing, Sing_ by Benny Goodman came on the radio.

I did some "sugars" during the opening drum beat, my dress swirling.

Ponyboy and I started swing dancing around the living room like we had earlier, laughing. Pony spun and twirled me around a few times for good measure, making the gang holler. He kicked his leg over me and pulled me up from between his legs. We just smiled and laughed the entire time. Pony let me go for a bit and he and the rest of the gang clapped along to the beat as I busted out single, double, and triple times steps. He grabbed me again and spun me around, continuing to spin me around the living room, making my dress fly around me and throwing my hair everywhere. Pony spun me around a final time before dipping me at the final trumpet blast, my foot going to the opposite knee.

Pony lifted me up as the gang clapped and cheered.

They clapped us on the backs with variations of, "Good going, y'all" and "Nice job".

I kissed Pony's red cheek.

"Mom would be real proud", Darry said.

Pony's face lit up, "You really think so?"

"I know so", Darry said, ruffling Pony's hair. He walked over to a small bookcase in the living room and pulled out a thick, laminated book before sitting on the couch and gesturing for Pony and I to sit next to him. We sat next to each other on Darry's right side.

"What's that?", I asked.

"A photo album", Darry answered, opening the book.

He thumbed through the pages before seemingly finding what he was looking for, "Look".

Darry pointed to a picture in the album. I leaned closer to see it better. It was a colored Polaroid picture. Mrs. Curtis was dancing with Sodapop and he had the most bewildered expression on his face. She was laughing at Soda's confusion. Darry and Pony were on the couch, watching the chaos unfold and smiling. Mr. Curtis must have been behind the camera.

"Is this when she taught Soda to dance?", I asked, giggling.

"Yup", Darry laughed.

"I remember that day", Pony said, "Soda couldn't stop stepping on Mom's feet."

I pointed to another picture, this one in black and white, "Is this you, Darry?"

"Unfortunately", he sighed.

Darry and Mrs. Curtis were attempting to dance. It looked like Darry, being a football player and not a dancer, was tripping over his feet as his mother laughed. A young Ponyboy must have taken this picture since Soda and Mr. Curtis were laughing in the background.

My eye caught another photo. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were dancing in the living room. It had been almost exactly like what I had pictured earlier. The two were lost in each other's eyes as they danced. The picture was just of the two of them, so any of the boys could have taken it. Mr. Curtis's hand was resting lightly on his wife's waist and her hand on his shoulder and from the way their feet and arms were positioned, they were doing a waltz. Their other hands where locked together and you could see the glint of their wedding rings from the camera flash.

"They're doing a waltz", I muttered.

"Hm?", Darry questioned.

"I can tell by the way their feet and arms are positioned. They're dancing a waltz", I clarified.

"There's a difference?"

"Of course. What Pony and I just did was definitely not a waltz."

"I have an idea", Soda told us, "Stay standing, you two."

Pony and I complied and stayed standing.

Soda came running back into the room with the Polaroid camera, "We have pictures of me and Darry's dance lessons, but not y'all's. You know how you said there's a difference between a waltz and the other dance?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Did you teach him that waltz dance too?", Soda asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Will you show us?"

"Are you up for another round, honey?", I asked.

Pony took a swig of his soda, "Anything for you."

We stood back up.

"Steve!", I yelled, him knowing what I wanted him to do.

"On it!"

Steve turned on the radio. _Stand By Me_ by Ben E. King started. Pony and I positioned ourselves and started dancing around the room. We softly smiled at one another and looked into each other's eyes as we danced. I heard the camera shutter click, but didn't pay it any mind. At the end of the song, Pony dipped me so low that the ends of my hair touched the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist. I put my foot up to the opposite knee again just before Pony gently kissed me. I heard the camera go off three times before we broke the kiss. He lifted me back up to my feet. The gang was just staring at us.

"Is something wrong?", I asked.

"I swear", Soda said, "I just saw Mom and Dad."

"What?", Pony questioned.

"Take a look at the pictures."

Pony sat on the couch, pulling me into his lap as the pictures developed. When they were done, Soda lay them on the open page of the photo album next to the one of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. He set the album on my lap so both Pony and I could look at the pictures. They were strikingly similar. Especially the first one.

Both Pony and I and Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were in the same waltz position. Pony's hand was lightly on my waist like his father's on his mother's and my hand was on his shoulder the same way Mrs. Curtis had her hand on her husband's. Both pictures had us looking into each other's eyes like nothing else mattered and even though Pony and I obviously don't have wedding rings, my necklace that Ponyboy gave me right before we became a couple was glinting the same way the Curtis parents' wedding rings were.

Pony pulled me closer into him from behind and kissed my cheek, "I love you, darlin'."

"I love you too", I said, giving him a kiss.

I turned back to the album, looking at the picture form the end of the waltz. We looked like we should have been in a Hollywood film or something. It was a perfect picture.

Soda looked at the picture of Pony dipping me, "Well, it looks like we got our own Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers right here."

"How do you know who Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are?", I laughed.

"Mom", Darry and Soda said in unison, making everyone laugh.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?", Darry asked me.

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not."

"I'll call my mom and let her know."

I quickly called my mom to let her know that I was staying over at the Curtis' for dinner. She said that she would let Dad know to pick me up on his way home from work.

We all sat in the living room as Soda made dinner, me still on Pony's lap.

"With Sodapop making dinner, it's bound to be interesting", Pony said.

"Why?"

"He does weird stuff", Darry told me, "One time he even made green pancakes."

"That definitely sounds like something Soda would do."

"Darry!", Soda called from the kitchen, "can you help me with somethin'?"

Darry sighed as he stood up, "I'm comin'. I'm comin'."

Then he muttered, "Wonder what he did this time."

We all laughed at Darry's distrust in Sodapop's cooking skills.

Darry walked back in after a few minutes, "He was scared he was going to burn something. Nothing is burnt, though. Yet."

"I heard that, Superman!", Soda called from the kitchen.

"You were meant to hear it, Pepsi-Cola!", Darry yelled back.

We snickered at their banter.

"How long were y'all dancing before we got home?", Darry asked.

"Y'all got home at about five so about…five-ish hours, maybe", I answered.

"Glory, that's a long time", Two-Bit said.

"Well, when you do dance for three hours a week for about twelve years, five hours isn't that long of a time", I smirked.

The radio was still on during our talking and I heard _Para Bailar La Bamba_ come on. Our Spanish teacher had taught it to us just for fun, so Pony and I both knew it.

We both started humming along to the semi-nonsensical lyrics and singing them under our breath.

"Para bailar la bamba,

Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia,

Una poca de gracia y otra cosita,

Ay, arriba y arriba,

Ay, arriba y arriba y arriba iré,

Yo no soy marinero,

Yo no soy marinero, por ti seré,

Por ti seré, por ti seré,

Bamba, bamba,

Bamba, bamba,

Bamba, bamba,

Bamba…"

"Why did Señora Williams teach us this again?", Pony laughed.

"I have no idea. I think one day she just got bored in class and said 'Why not?'"

"Sounds about right", he admitted.

"Dinner's ready!", Soda called.

The boys stormed the kitchen with Pony and I walking behind them.

"Did you do anything to the food this time, Sodapop?", Pony questioned as we sat down.

"No, I didn't. So don't worry your pretty little head, Little Colt", Soda teased, ruffling Pony's hair.

"You never greased your hair today, honey", I told him.

"I was just planning to lounge around the house before you came and I wasn't going to grease my hair for that. The farthest I got to being ready to go out in public was putting on clothes and shoes and brushing my teeth. And when you came over, I didn't really want to put grease in since you like my hair without it."

I kissed his cheek.

Soda and Darry put the food on the table and everyone got their food and dug in. I had been scared of Soda's cooking from what the gang had told me, but it was actually good.

The food was mostly gone soon and we cleaned up, well Darry, Pony, and I cleaned up. Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were goofing off. We soon finished and joined them in the living room where they had moved the coffee table back to its regular place.

Pony sat on the couch and pulled me into his lap. I cuddled in close to him, laying my head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Pony", Soda said. They must have thought I was asleep since my eyes were closed.

"Yeah?"

"I can tell y'all love each other. I know y'all do love each other, but I can tell."

"How?", Pony asked.

"When you look at her, you get the same look that Dad always got when he looked at Mom. And Lily gets the same look that Mom got when she looked at Dad."

I felt Ponyboy kiss my head, "Yeah. I love her. More than words can say. She's my best friend and my whole world."

I smiled and buried my head deeper into his chest, hearing his heartbeat.

"She's a special one, Ponyboy. Don't let her go."

"I'm never planning to", Pony told Soda as he hugged me tighter to him.

"She reminds me of Mom", Darry spoke.

"Yeah. I was telling her that earlier. They would've loved her, don't you think?"

"Definitely", Darry said, "Mom would have loved that she taught you to dance. I know she would've."

"I do too. I know we're young, but I feel like she's the one."

I could almost hear Darry's smile as he said, "I can tell."

Soon, my dad came to pick me up.

"Darlin'", Pony whispered, "Princess, your dad's here."

I opened my eyes, "I wasn't asleep, ya know."

Pony got a blush on his face, "So you heard me talking to Darry and Soda?"

I smiled, "Yes, I did. And I must say, I think I love you even more now, if that's possible."

Pony's ears turned a fiery red.

"Don't be embarrassed, honey. I've never heard anything sweeter in my entire life."

We stood up and I picked up my shoes, taking off the heels and slipping my shoes on before walking to the door. Pony picked up his mother's heels and walked behind me.

"Aren' t you going to put those back?", I asked.

"You can have them, darlin'", he said, handing them to me, "She'd want you to have them."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I love you, darlin'."

"I love you too. So much", I stood on tip-toe to give him a kiss before heading out the door and getting in the passenger side of my dad's truck and buckling in. I gave Ponyboy a wave and he waved back before my dad started the drive back to my house.

 **I cried while writing the part about Mr. and Mrs. Curtis dancing in this chapter. I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter, though. It was so fun. And I wanted to talk more about the Curtis parents. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavelclaw13**


	25. Chapter 25

When school went back into session after Thanksgiving Break, Pony handed in his theme. The fall leaves that had only shown their reds, yellows, and oranges for a few weeks about a month before had turned brown and rigid, falling to the ground and shriveling up, breaking into fragments when stepped on. Mr. Symes gave it back it back to him with an A+ the next day, saying that it was one of the best pieces of work he had ever read and he couldn't put it down last night. Ponyboy smiled at our teacher's praise and we walked back to our desk hand-in-hand. We were a little early to class and nobody but us and Mr. Symes were in the classroom, so Pony hugged me, picking me up a little, and spun me around before putting me down, making me squeal. A huge smile was covering his face.

"I knew you could do it!", I exclaimed happily, my arms still around his neck.

"I could only do it because you believed in me", he smiled before giving me a peck on the lips.

"I love you, honey", I said quietly as people began to file into the room.

"I love you too, darlin'. And I always will."

The theme bumped Pony's grade up from an F to a C, making all of us relieved (especially Darry).

The weather started getting colder and I could smell the winter in the air. When we walked to school in the morning, Pony and I both had red noses and cheeks from the sharp air which, in my opinion, made him look adorable. He said the same about me. The days were getting shorter, the darkness of twilight already falling when I made my way to dance on Mondays, making me much more self-aware and paranoid of Socs. I practically ran there and on the way back, since the darkness had overcome the sky by then.

It was during the middle of December that Ponyboy and I talked about Christmas. The Socs had put up their Christmas lights and some had nativity scenes inter front yards, even though the Greasers knew that the people inside could be less than holy on occasion. Pony and I had been together for a little over three months and the topic had come up in one of our conversations while walking to school.

"What are you doin' for Christmas?", he asked me. My gloved fingers were intertwined with his bare ones as we walked.

"I'll be at home all day. It's what we do every year. It's nothing fancy. We open presents in the morning and lounge around for the rest of the day. What about you, honey?"

He thought for a second, a frown coming to his face, "I don't really know what we're going to do this year. This is the first Christmas without Mom and Dad. And without Johnny and Dally. Christmas was always the one day of the year, other than our birthdays, when Mom would actually let us eat cake for breakfast. Christmas music would be playing on the radio for the week leading up to it and the week after, until New Year's."

I smiled lightly, "What else did y'all do?"

"Dad always cut down a tree. We had a mix-match set of ornaments. They were usually old family ones or ones that Darry, Soda, and I made in school. We'd decorate the tree a few days before Christmas. When I was little, Dad always sat me on his shoulders so I could put the star on top of the tree. Dally, Johnny, and Steve would usually be over. Two-Bit would come by later, after spending the morning with Lizzie and his mom. We would watch the Christmas specials all day in our pajamas."'

"That sounds wonderful. Don't y'all have a tree yet?"

"Yeah. We got it a few days ago. Steve and Soda took Darry's truck and got it. We haven't decorated it yet, though."

I wrapped my arms around his torso from the side, hugging him as we walked. Pony wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.

"I'm not gonna take you away from everyone on Christmas", I started, "But do you wanna come over my house for New Year's? I'll ask my parents if you stay over."

"If they say yes and Darry does too, I would love to", Pony smiled, kissing my temple.

I asked my parents that night and they agreed that Pony could stay over on New Year's if Darry said it was alright. I told Pony the next day.

"Darry said it was okay", Pony told me after I told him what my parents said.

"But, I know we're not going to be able to sleep in the same bed", I warned him.

"It's fine. I'll just take the couch", he assured me.

"Are you sure?"

"Darlin', I'll be fine. It's nice enough that I get to stay over. I'll live."

"If you say so."

Christmas Break rolled around. Plans were finalized and Tulsa's lights and signs made a stark contrast against the cold, crisp winter nights as people set up for the holidays. Christmas morning was interesting as always. Anna, Henry, and I got up early and woke up our parents before going to the tree. We never got a lot, but that had never really mattered to me. The twins got some toys and clothes. I got some books, a dress, and a new pair of Converse, these ones black.

Pony called about halfway through the day to with me a Merry Christmas. The gang was making a ton of noise in the background.

"Are you at a zoo?", I joked.

"No", Pony sighed tiredly, "Everyone's just excited and fawning over their presents."

"Have they been like this all day?", I laughed.

"Pretty much. It's only noon, and they're already driving me up the wall. I swear to God, if Two-Bit doesn't stop throwing that around-", he muttered the last sentence before I heard a loud crash over the line and lots of yelling.

"What happened?"

Pony sighed heavily and I could picture him running a hand through his hair in frustration, "Our friend, Keith, over here, just threw a ball in the house and knocked a picture off the wall. Darry's goin' off on him. I gotta go before anyone else breaks anything. I'll talk to you soon. I love you, darlin' and have a good Christmas."

"I love you too. Merry Christmas", I told him before hanging up the phone.

Our families kept both Pony and I occupied for days, so we didn't get to see each other.

A couple days before New Year's, I went over to the Curtis' house. When I knocked on the door, Pony answered.

"You know you don't have to knock, don't you, Princess?", he laughed.

I shrugged, "I know. Just force of habit."

He walked me into the house, "Did you come over for a reason?", he asked before a look of worry crossed his face, "Not that I don't love having you over and seeing you. Glory, that first thing came out wrong-"

I cut him off with a laugh, "Honey, I get it. I came over because I wanted to see you since we haven't seen each other for like a week because our families were keeping us busy."

Pony sighed and pulled me into a hug, "I missed you, darlin'."

I smiled into his chest, breathing in his familiar smell of cigarettes and cologne, "I missed you too."'

"I have something for you", he said, taking my hand and leading me to the living room. The tree was only about Ponyboy's height with the mixed array of ornaments that he had described. It's bit of awkwardness was wonderful and endearing.

I sat on the couch as he went over to the tree and picked up a small package, the only thing still left under the tree and walked over to me, handing me the package, and sitting down next to me.

Pony wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Open it. It's from me."

I started carefully unwrapping the gift, peeling the paper back to find a book. _To Kill a_ _Mockingbird_ , to be exact. The book we read when we went to the bookstore the morning of the car accident. When I opened the cover, I saw scrawled out in Ponyboy's semi-neat handwriting, " _I remember reading this with you for a hours at the bookstore in town about a month ago before the car crash. Whenever finished it. I love you and I always will. Love, your Ponyboy"._ In the front cover was also the one of the pictures from Pony and I danced in his house over Thanksgiving Break.

"Glory, honey. You didn't have to."

He brightly grinned, "But I wanted to. Merry Christmas, Princess."

"Merry Christmas, love", I said, wrapping him in a tight hug, "Thank you. I love it and I love you."

"Your welcome and I love you too. And I always will", Ponyboy tilted my chin up and gave me a kiss.

"I got something for you too", I told him when we pulled away. I took my gifts for him out from my jacket pocket, "I know it's not much, but I hope you like it…"

They were pieces of white card-stock that I had gotten from our art teacher, Ms. Thompson. I had carefully cut them into a rectangle about 7 inches long and 2 inches wide. On one of them, in lines across the the two-inch width in looping cursive, I had written out the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost. The other had the chorus of _Love Me Tender_ , also written across the width in cursive. The written-on card-stocks were supposed to be bookmarks. The words went all the way down the bookmark, my penmanship filling up most it. On the backs of both, I had written, again in cursive, " _I love you, Honey. So much. Love, your darlin', Lily"._

I looked at Pony's face as he read the bookmarks. His mouth turned up in a soft smile and he ran his fingertip along my writing, tracing the looped lettering.

He looked back up at me, his green eyes sparkling, "I love it. It's the best thing you could've done."

"Really?", I asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Really", Pony confirmed, setting the bookmarks down the the coffee table, "Thank you, darlin'."

"Of course", I smiled and leaned up, cupping Pony's cheek and kissing him. He put his hands on my waist, holding me.

"Ponyboy! You'll never guess what just-", Sodapop came barreling into the living room, skidding to a halt when he saw Pony and I kissing, "Did I interrupt something?"

We pulled away, blushing.

"No", Pony sighed, putting an arm around my waist, "Now what are you _so_ eager about, Pepsi-Cola?"

Soda took a few deep breaths. He must have run all the way to the house from the DX.

"I gotta date!", he exclaimed happily, making us laugh and smile.

It had been a few months since Sandy went to Florida. Soda was definitely still sad about it and it seemed almost like he had given up on the idea of him ever finding love again, so him having a date and him being excited about it was great. He always had hoards of girls lining up for him, but he never really wanted to date any of them, so if he was this enthused about this date, he must really like the girl.

"That's great, Soda!", I cried.

"When is it?", Pony asked.

"Next Friday. We're gonna have a double-date with her friend and the friend's boyfriend."

"Sounds fun. Where are you going?"

"I dunno. Somewhere casual. I'll have to ask her."

"What's her name?", I inquired.

"I'm not saying until after the date. If it goes well, that is."

"I'm sure it'll go just fine, Soda", Pony assured him.

"Did you run all the way over here to tell us?", I questioned with a laugh.

"Yup. Gotta get back to Stevie now. Bye y'all".

And with that, Soda zoomed back out the door.

"At least we know he's keepin' warm", Pony chuckled.

"I suppose", I giggled.

I stayed over for a few more hours, just talking with Ponyboy until I had to go home.

"I'll see you on New Year's. Come by at four o'clock", I told him, giving him a kiss as I prepared to walk out of the house.

"Four o'clock", he confirmed.

"I love you", I said.

"I love you too. And I always will", he said back as I left.

Two days later, it was the day of New Year's Eve. I woke up at about 11:30 in the morning, quickly had breakfast, and cleaned up my room like my mom told me. She couldn't stand the house being messy at all when we had someone staying over, so while I was cleaning my room, the twins were cleaning theirs, and Mom was cleaning her and Dad's room and the living room. Dad was at work and would be home by dinner.

After I felt that my room was sufficiently clean, I read for a while. I could hear the twins down the hall in their room arguing about if one's side of the room was being invaded by the other person's belongings. It was what happened every time they cleaned their room, so I was used to it.

I lost track of time as I read and didn't realize that it was 3:30 until my mom told me by yelling the information up the stairs. I jumped off of my bed where I had been into my stomach and ran to my closet. I pulled on a white blouse with a Peter Pan collar that I tucked into a light pink, knee length skirt before slipping on my black flats. I braided a section of hair near my face on either side of my part and tied them together behind my head before running downstairs to brush my teeth. Just when I finished, there was a knock on the door.

I got to the door and opened it up, finding Pony standing on the porch.

"Hi, honey", I smiled, "Come on in."

"Hey, darlin'", he said as he walked in, wrapping me a hug and kissing my head. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Are you ready for nineteen sixty-six?"

"Yeah. Nineteen sixty-five's been a rough year. The best thing that came out of it was you."

I blushed a little and leaned up to kiss his cheek just as my mom came in.

"Hello, Ponyboy. I'm so glad you could stay over."

"Thank you for inviting me", Pony said politely as I took his jean jacket and hung it up.

"It was no problem at all. Lily, why don't you take Ponyboy up to your room."

"Already on it", I told her as I grabbed a laughing Pony and pulled him up the stairs.

We went into my room and I closed the door behind us, "You can leave your stuff in here."

"But I'm sleeping on the couch, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but you don't want your stuff in the living room where everyone's gonna be throughout the day", I reminded him.

"I didn't think of that. Good idea", he set his backpack on the floor as I flopped on my bed on my stomach.

"What in the world are you doing?", Pony laughed.

"I don't really know. At this point, I'm just lying on my bed."

"I'll do it with you", he said, laying on his stomach next to me.

"How's the gang been?"

"Good. Two-Bit stole a new switchblade that he won't shut up about."

When the police were searching Dally after they shot him, they had found Two-Bit's prized switchblade and took it away.

"That's good, even though annoying."

"I guess. Soda's still excited for his date."

"The gang must be pestering him about who she is. Did he finally tell?"

"No, but he did said that her name starts with an 'A'."

I shrugged a little, "I don't blame him for not wanting to say who she is unless the date goes well after what happened with Sandy."

"Yeah", Pony flipped over so he was lying on his back and looked over at me, "C'mon over here, Princess."

I scooted closer to him. Apparently, I wasn't close enough for his liking, as he literally pulled me on top of him. Our stomachs and chests were pressed together. My hands were on his shoulders and his were resting on my waist.

"Would you like something?", I smirked.

"A kiss would be nice", he joked.

To tease him, I only gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

He groaned, making me laugh, "Really, darlin'?"

I nodded, "Yep. Really, honey."

"I didn't mean a kiss like that", he whined.

"What kind of kiss did you have in mind?", I asked, pretending like I didn't know.

"You know full well what kind of kiss I meant, darlin'."

"I don't think I do. Would you show me?", I giggled.

A smile crossed his face, "Gladly."

And with that, Pony took a hand from my waist and moved it to the back of my head, smashing my lips to his. My eyes widened in surprise for a moment before I melted into the kiss. I moved my hands from his shoulders to his arms, squeezing his bicep muscles. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tighter to him. We pulled away after a bit, needing air.

Pony's eyes met mine, "How'd I so lucky that I found you?"

"I don't know. I ask myself the same question about you every day, love."

I guess we had been up there for longer than I thought because I heard the door open and close which meant my dad was home.

"Let's go downstairs", I told to Pony, standing up, taking his hand and bringing him downstairs.

"Hello, Mr. Smith", he said when we got downstairs and saw my dad on the couch.

"Hello, Ponyboy", my dad answered back.

"I'm gonna help my mom with dinner. Sit on the couch or something", I said.

"Alright. Let me know if you need any help in there."

"I will. Don't you worry."

Mom turned the radio on as we (well, mainly she) cooked. Dinner was pasta. Mom was Italian, so she knew how to do this kind of stuff from her mom. She made and cooked the pasta while I stirred the sauce on the stove. I wasn't very good at cooking, but I tried.

A while into cooking, Mom took a bathroom break, leaving me alone to my devices. I was keeping an eye on the pasta as I stirred the sauce.

The song "Gloria" came on the radio as I stirred. I moved my hips to the beat, singing under my breath.

"…You know she comes 'round here", the radio sang,

"Just 'bout midnight.

She makes me feel so good.

She makes me feel alright.

And her name is G,

L,

O,

R,

Iiiiii…

G, L, O, R, I, A

Gloria;

G, L, O, R, I, A

Gloria…"

I jumped out of my skin when I felt hands on my waist.

"Sorry, darlin'", I heard Ponyboy apologize with a laugh.

"Glory, Pony", I said, turning around to face him and tying my hair into a low bun with an elastic from my wrist, "I think my heart just skipped a beat."

"Doesn't that happen every time you see me though?", he asked with a cocky smirk.

I rolled my eyes at him, smiling, "What am I gonna do with you, Horseman?"

"I liked your little dance, by the way. It was cute."

I felt myself blush, "You saw that?"

"Damn right, I did."

I turned back to the stove to continue stirring the sauce, my face red from the steam of the pot and my embarrassment.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Princess. Like I said, it was cute", he wrapped his arms around my waist from the behind, his hands resting on my stomach.

I smiled, not answering. Pony rested his forehead on the back of my head and started to hum. I could tell the song he was humming was "You Are My Sunshine". I started swaying a little, making Pony do it too.

"Did I miss something?", Mom asked as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Nope", I answered, "Pony came in to visit me."

"I'm gonna let y'all do what you're doing. I'll be in the living room if you need me, darlin'", Pony said, giving me a kiss on the cheek before walking back to the other room.

My mom smiled as she went back to the pasta, "Y'all really love each other, don't you?"

I smiled down at the sauce, "Yeah. We definitely do."

I looked up to see Mom giving me a light smile, "You're his world. And he's yours. I can tell."

We finished cooking soon after and Mom was about to call out that dinner was ready, but I shushed her. She gave me a confused look.

"I wanna see what Pony and Dad are talking about in the living room", I explained in a whisper.

"Got it", she said, "Let's eavesdrop on our guys."

We tiptoed down the hall and stopped a few feet away from the living room doorway, behind a wall. The T.V volume had been turned down to almost mute so Dad could talk to Ponyboy.

"So how long have you and Lily been dating, again?", I heard Dad ask.

"Almost four months, sir", Pony responded.

I looked at my mom and mouthed, "Sir?".

She shrugged and mouthed back,"I don't know".

"And just what do you like about my daughter?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing this could go bad.

"Glory, I can't name everything. She's smart, beautiful inside and out, kind, caring, understanding, supportive, stubborn…"

I heard Dad laugh and it must have been at "stubborn".

"What is your favorite physical feature on her?"

I blushed, knowing Dad was planning on Pony saying my breasts or behind.

"Her eyes", Pony answered, "Her eyes are without a doubt my favorite feature on her. They're big and brown and beautiful and they are so passionate."

I smiled, both in relief and because of the compliment.

"I remember saying the saying the same thing about her mother when we were younger", Dad told him.

I looked back at Mom to see her smiling and her eyes sparkling.

She looked at me and whispered, "It's the Italian attractiveness in our eyes. It gets 'em every time."

I snickered quietly, "Oh yeah. We're master seductresses."

"Exactly", she joked.

"I think it's time to intervene, don't you?"

"We probably should. If we don't, dinner's gonna get cold."

"Ponyboy!", I called at the same time my mom did it, but her shouting, "James!"

"Yeah?", they both called back.

"Dinner's ready!", Mom yelled loud enough so they would hear and Anna and Henry would hear her from upstairs.

The twins pounded down the stairs as Dad and Pony came over to Mom and I.

I took Pony's hand in mine and smiled at him, "You're too sweet."

"What do you mean?"

"The conversation with my dad", I clarified.

"Were you eavesdropping?", he asked with a smirk.

"Maybe…", I trailed off before running to the table, him right on my heels.

We all ate dinner while talking about school, the coming new year, etc. By the end of dessert, it was 8 o'clock, so we still had almost 4 hours to kill until we all had to be in the living room to watch the ball drop on the T.V.

Pony and I went back upstairs to my room and I turned on the little radio that I had in there. I changed the stations with the tiny knob until I found a station where we liked the music that was playing.

The song "Johnny B. Goode" started playing and Ponyboy immediately got up and grabbed me.

"What on Earth are you doin', honey?"

"We're dancing." He quickly spun me around and started swing dancing around my rom with me, making me laugh.

"Deep down in Louisiana, close to New Orleans;

Way back up in the woods among the evergreens;

There stood a log cabin mad of earth and wood;

Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode

Who never ever learned to read or write so well,

But he could play a guitar like ringin' a bell.

Go.

Go, Johnny, go.

Go…"

Pony and I continued to dance around my room until the song ended. We both sat on my bed, breathing heavily.

I smiled, "That was fun."

"Yeah, it was", he looked at something on my desk and walked over to it.

I got up and followed him to my desk where he was standing facing it with a picture frame in his hands.

"What're you looking at, honey?"

He turned to face me, smiling, "These pictures."

I looked at the pictures. They were of Ashlynn and I at last year's recital. We were wearing our ballet costumes that were absolutely beautiful and our pink tights and pointe shoes. Our costume dresses were a light peachy pink with softer tutus that puffed out at the hips before the tulle cascaded down to our knees.

The first picture was of us in the dressing room. Ashlynn had given the camera to our only other friend in dance. Her name was Rachel and she was a senior so this was her last show. She was the only other Greaser besides us at our dance school. Ashlynn was trying to touch up my makeup and had said something to make me laugh. My head was thrown back in laughter and she was doubled over, clutching her stomach with one hand and holding the lipstick that she was using to touch me up in the other.

The other picture was us outside the dressing room. Rachel had said that she wanted nice pictures of us, so we were standing with our feet and arms in with position. Our posture was straight like your teacher had taught us, our heads were high, and we wore large smiles from the excitement.

I smiled at the pictures, "She was fixing my makeup in the first one and made me laugh which made her laugh too. Our friend, Rachel, said that she wanted some final pictures of us since it was her last dance recital. She was a senior and a Greaser. She went to college this fall. The University of Tulsa, I think. She wanted to become a journalist. That's where the last picture came from."

"With all that makeup on, I wouldn't even think that's you", he laughed.

"If we don't put a ton of makeup on, we look washed out in the stage lights, so we cake it on."

I walked over to my bedside table and grabbed another picture frame off of it, handing it to Pony, "I think you'll enjoy this one."

It was a picture from Ashlynn and I's second dance recital. We were both about 5 years old and were wearing cute little pink tutu dresses and flat ballet shoes since we hadn't been old enough for pointe. The picture itself was from right after the show. We were in the hallway of the venue, holing small bouquets of roses which her mom had gotten for her and my parents had gotten for me. Mom was in about her last month of pregnancy with the twins, but wasn't in the picture. We both had huge grins covering our little faces, our cheeks heavy with blush and our lips stained red from lipstick. I had my free arm around her shoulders and she had her free arm around my waist.

Pony smirked, "Glory, you were a cute kid, darlin'."'

"Thanks, honey. I'm sure you were too."

"Eh. Not really", he told me.

"I think you're bluffing. You were probably adorable, Pony", I laughed, "The next time I come over to your house, I'm going to have Sodapop show me pictures of you as a little kid."

He sighed, "If you say so."

I leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips, "I do say so."

 **Hey! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while school's been crazy and I had about 2 pages of this chapter done, but they weren't good at all so I scrapped them. This chapter is a little slower, but the next one will be much better. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	26. Chapter 26

Pony and I talked up in my room about just close to everything under the Sun.

At 11:45, Mom called us downstairs.

"Lily! Ponyboy! Come down here! We only have fifteen minutes until the ball drops!"

"Coming, Mom!", I yelled back before turning to Pony and saying, "Let's go."

We walked downstairs, me in front of him. Mom was at the bottom of the stairs with party hats and noisemakers.

I groaned in frustration, "Mom, I'm not wearing a party hat. Not again."

"Again?", Pony asked.

"Every year she makes us wear party hats and stuff. I do not enjoy it at all."

"Well, you're gonna wear the party hat and you're gonna like it", Mom said, putting the party hat on my head.

I crossed my arms and huffed in annoyance, making Pony laugh.

"If I'm goin' down, you're goin' down with me, buddy", I told him, forcing a party hat on him as well.

"I can see why you get so annoyed at this now", he said.

I grabbed his hand and led him to the living room where everyone else was wearing party hats. I knew my mom was the only one who like this "tradition". Anna, Henry, and I had been alright with it when we were younger, but the older we got, the more we despised those hats. Mom said that until we were 18 and could legally make our own choices, we had to do it.

"It's really party central in here, isn't it?", Pony told me sarcastically as he looked at the twins' and my dad's frustrated expressions, making me laugh.

"Oh, yeah. Party of the year", I responded with a snort.

We sat on the couch, watching the reporters. The one in the news station was seemingly getting confused about where the ball went after it dropped from the Allied Chemical's tower, making the others laugh at him. He quickly turned it over to the reporter in Times Square.

"You know how they do it? While astronauts whirl around the Earth, they do it with pulley power", the reporter in New York said, teasing his coworker.

It was about a minute until 1966 at that point. The ball moved down the tower. Mom and Dad poured champagne for them and Pony and I. It was the only time when I ever drank alcohol, so even though I thought that champagne was too bitter, I drank it for the fun of it. The twins were drinking sparkling grape juice since Mom and Dad didn't let us drink champagne until you turned 12.

We started counting down, all of us screaming down the seconds at once, "Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

I stood on tip-toe and put my arms around Pony's neck before kissing him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. I could the twins crying, "Ew!". After a little bit, we pulled away.

I held up my glass, "To nineteen sixty-six."

"To nineteen sixty-six", Pony repeated and clinked his glass to mine before we both drank the champagne.

I scrunched my face at the bitterness, "Glory, I always forget how bitter it is."

"Believe me, all alcohol is bitter", Pony laughed.

"Have you been spending too much time with Two-Bit?"

"No. Once, Curly Shepard dragged me to some bar and got me drunk. It was awful, especially the next morning when I had a hangover. Darry was not happy, to say the least."

I laughed, "Moral of the story: Never, ever, under any circumstances, listen to Curly Shepard."

"Very true", he said and took another sip of his drink.

Soon, the twins were falling asleep on the couch, so my parents said that it was time for bed. Pony and I went back up to my room so he could get his bag.

"I'm gonna get changed and I'll be downstairs in a minute", I told him.

He went downstairs and I changed out of my outfit and into a nightgown. I took out my hair and brushed it out before going downstairs.

Pony walked out of the bathroom in his pajamas and holding his toothbrush, toothpaste, and clothes in his hands just as I came downstairs. I quickly rushed in and brushed my teeth before coming out and saying goodnight to my parents who were already in their room and to Pony who was sitting on the couch.

"Goodnight, darlin'", he said, giving me a quick kiss, "I love you."

"Goodnight, honey", I told him, "I love you too. So much."

I walked back upstairs to my room, turning off the lights and getting into bed. I fell asleep quickly, although I wished I hadn't.

My nightmare started with me walking down the street. It was dark outside, so I was walking faster than usual. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough. There was a Mustang full of Socs behind me, trailing me.

"Hey Greaser", one yelled out, "Why don't you come with us? We'll show you a good time."

I continued walking, slouching and putting my hands in my front pockets.

"Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

The Mustang stopped and the Socs filed out and surrounded me. There must have been four or five of them.

The Soc that had yelled at me pushed me against the wall of a building, "You're gonna wish you hadn't ignored me, Greaser. We're gonna have some fun with you, slut."

My eyes widened, but I held my ground, "I know people that could bust your head in."

The Soc gave me a smirk, "Oh, is this one of your friends?"

The Socs parted, letting me see a bloody Ponyboy lying on the ground. There was blood coming from his mouth and nose and there was blood all over his t-shirt from stab wounds on his throat, chest, and stomach. He was dead.

I struggled against the Soc pinning to the wall, "Ponyboy! No!"

"Ponyboy, yes", the Soc snarled, "We had our fun killing him, but we're gonna have a different kind of fun with you before youend up the same way."

The Soc pushed me to the ground and immediately ripped open my shirt and touching me.

I started screaming. Screaming for Ponyboy. Screaming for the rest of the gang. Just screaming at the top of my lungs, my throat hurting from it. The other Socs had joined in, some trying to take off my pants, some groping me, and the original one holding a switchblade to my neck.

"Any last words, bitch?", he asked sinisterly, putting more pressure on my throat with the blade.

I simply screamed more and more.

"Lily! Lily!", I heard my name being called, "Lily! Darlin', it's okay! You're okay!"

I continued screaming until I felt soft lips being pressed to mine, waking me up.

 _Ponyboy POV_

I was on Lily's family's couch in the living room, reading a book. It was about 1:30 in the morning. Everything was completely silent I heard screaming. It was terrible, gut-wrenching, torturous screaming. I could tell that it was Lily that was screaming, sending me into a panic.

My eyes widened and I threw my book down, scrambling to get upstairs to her. I sprinted out of the living room and up the stairs before her parents were even got out of their room.

I ran into Lily's room and saw her kicking at the covers and flailing her arms. Her face was red from screaming. I immediately ran to her side and sat on the bed next to her.

I put my hands on her arms and shook her.

At this point, her parents were at her doorway, looking extremely concerned.

The shaking wasn't working, so I decided to try talking to her, "Lily! Lily! Lily! Darlin', it's okay! You're okay!"

She just continued to scream. I loved her so much and it was killing me, seeing her like this. I didn't know what she was dreaming about, but it must have been horrifying for her to be emitting those kind of yells. I suddenly thought of something. When she had been staying at my house and I had had a nightmare, she had kissed me. That's what I decided to do and hopefully it would work.

I leaned down and gently kissed her lips. She almost instantly responded, calming down and her eyes opening. She was awake.

 _Back to Lily's POV_

I opened my eyes and saw Pony pulling away from me and sitting up. I immediately started crying hysterically. My parents left their place at the doorway, leaving Pony and I alone.

Ponyboy pulled me onto his lap, "Shh. Shh. It's okay, Princess. I'm right here. You're safe, darlin'. You're safe."

"Th-they killed you", I sobbed, burying my head into his chest.

"Who killed me, darlin'?", he asked softly.

"The Socs", I hiccuped, "They killed you and they were trying to rape me. They said that they were going to 'h-have their fun with me' before I ended up the same way as you. Pony, you were gone. There was so much blood all over you and your body was on the ground and you weren't moving…"'

I continued crying into his chest, soaking his shirt. He started rocking me before starting to softly sing.

"Love me tender, love me sweet;

Never let me go.

You have made my life complete

And I love you so.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me long;

Take me to your heart.

For it's there that I belong

And we'll never part.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me, dear;

Tell me you are mine.

I'll be yours through all the years,

Til the end of time.

Love me tender, love me true;

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darlin', I love you;

And I always will."

I started calming down, my sobs turning to hiccups, although tears still ran down my face. Pony wiped my cheeks softly with the pads of his thumbs.

"You're okay, Princess. I'm right here. I'll never leave you."

"You promise?", I whimpered.

His face softened even more, "Of course. Do you want me to sleep in here with you?"

I nodded.

He lightly smiled, "Okay."

I lay down and Ponyboy took off his shirt before lying down next to me, on his side and under the covers. He pulled me to him so close that our stomachs were practically touching.

He gently kissed my forehead as he wrapped his arms around me, "I love you so much, Princess. And I always will."

"I love you too, honey. So much", I whispered.

I fell asleep to the sound of my boyfriend's steady breathing, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

 _Ponyboy's POV_

After I sang to her, Lily started to calm down a little, her breaths coming in hiccups and tears still straying from her eyes.

"You're okay, Princess. I'm right here. I'll never leave you", I assured her.

She whimpered a little as she asked, "You promise?"

My heart broke to see her so distraught and vulnerable. She seemed broken and fragile in my arms. The last time I had seen my girlfriend like this was the day she read Johnny's letter. I had never heard her voice so soft and hesitant. She was terrified of what she had dreamed about. I would be too. I remember how scared I had been when I got jumped by Socs and it was taken to a whole other level for Lily since they had tried to do those inexcusable things to her. Socs and Greasers are all people and we all feel the same things, but I couldn't help but be pissed at the Socs that had hurt her. They had left mental scars that might never fully heal. Lily wasn't as bad as Johnny had been after he had been jumped, but they had definitely spooked her. The Socs had just bruised and cut me up a little, but they caused her to get stitches and, even worse, they had tried to rape her. _We_ wouldn't even have sex and we loved each other. For someone to try to force her to have sex with them without her consent…I couldn't even imagine what that must have been like. I loved her and never wanted anything to touch her.

"Of course", I told her, "Do you want me to sleep in here with you?"

Lily nodded a little. Her big, brown eyes that I had fallen in love with and that made me melt whenever they looked at me were still watery.

I smiled a little to try and make her feel better, "Okay."

She lay down on her left side and I quickly took off my shirt that was wet with her tears, not that I minded at all. I would rather have my shirt be wet and me be her shoulder to cry on than anything else.

I lay down on the bed next to her, me on my right side so we were facing each other. I pulled her as close to me as I could, wrapping my arms around her securely.

"I love you so much, Princess", I whispered, kissing her forehead, "And I always will."

"I love you too, honey. So much", I heard Lily quietly say before she curled up closer to my chest.

Soon, I heard the sound of her soft, steady breaths that told me she was asleep. I sighed in relief, knowing she was finally calm, and kissed the top of her head before falling asleep myself.

 _Back to Lily's POV_

I woke up to Pony caressing my cheek softly with his thumb and giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead.

My eyes fluttered open to see his green ones looking back at me.

"Good morning, Princess", he greeted quietly.

"Good morning", I said back.

"Are you better know? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did because you were there. Thank you for being there for me."

He smiled lightly, "I love you so much that I couldn't not be there for you. I heard you screaming and was up the stairs faster than your parents were."

"I was so scared. It was so real. You were there, dead on the ground and they were…touching me…"

"Oh, darlin'", he cooed, hugging me close, "I would never let anyone do that to you. As long as I'm here, no one's gonna hurt you."

"I don't even know why I had the nightmare", I said into his collarbone, "The only time I got jumped was when you and Johnny were gone and I haven't thought about it much anymore, although I've been more careful."

"We'll, even if you don't think about it often, you always carry a reminder of it."

"What do you mean, honey?"

"Your scar", Pony reminded me.

"Scars", I corrected him.

"Scars?"

"There's the one on my lip, one on my forehead and one on my chest."

"On your chest?"

I nodded, "I guess you forgot, but I don't blame you. They cut my shirt and sweatshirt all the way open, leaving me exposed. Then the one that was on me cut right under my bra with his switchblade." I put my index finger to where the cut had been, right under where the bra cups met.

"Did…did they touch you then?", Pony asked with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"No, I don't think so. Just in the nightmare."

He gave me a light kiss on the nose, "Why don't we get some breakfast, Princess?"

"Okay", I slowly sat up to keep the blood from rushing to my head. My throat felt a little hoarse from last night's screaming. Pony slipped his shirt on since he obviously wasn't going out shirtless in front of my family.

He took my hand and we went downstairs for breakfast.

Everyone was already at the table and according to the clock on the wall, it was 9 in the morning.

"Good morning", Mom said.

"Good morning", we said back as we sat at the table.

"Were you alright last night, Lily?", Dad asked.

"It was just a nightmare. I'm fine. Pony calmed me down", I told him.

He looked at Pony, "I was only there long enough to see you waking her up. How'd you know that the kiss would work?"

"When she stayed over at my house a few months ago, I had a nightmare. I get them a lot. She did the same thing to wake me up", Pony answered.

Dad nodded, "And as I understand it, y'all slept in the same bed last night. Nothing happened, right?"

We both blushed tomato red.

"No, nothing happened, sir", Pony said, "We slept together in the most innocent sense of the phrase. I just held her and we were sleeping next to each other. That's all that happened."

"Just to let you know", Mom told me, "It's snowing out."

My eyes widened, "It is?!" I rushed to the window and looked outside, seeing about six inches of snow on the ground and more falling gracefully from the sky.

I ran back over to Pony and grabbed his arm, jumping up and down, "It's snowing, Ponyboy!"

He laughed at my excitement, "I heard. I'm assuming you want to go outside?"

I nodded eagerly.

Pony turned to my parents, "Is this what happens every time it snows?"

They nodded, chuckling, "Yeah, pretty much. Since we don't get much snow down here, she always gets overly excited when it does."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!", I cried, tugging on Pony's arm.

He started laughing even harder, "Darlin', we need to have breakfast first."

I sighed, "Fine."

I rushed to the table, pulling him along with me and quickly at some cereal before brushing my teeth and running upstairs to change.

I pulled on some jeans, a t-shirt, a thin sweatshirt, and my older grey Converse that I had worn during the rumble. I put my hair in a braid down my back before going back downstairs.

Ponyboy was sitting on the couch, pulling on his shoes with his jacket next to him.

My parents were still sitting at the table, watching us with amusement. The twins were still asleep.

I was getting my jacket on when Pony stood up.

"You ready?", he asked, smiling.

"Yep! Let's go!", I threw open the door and pulled my boyfriend outside with me.

"It's so pretty", I gasped. The snow was falling slowly from the light grey sky, dusting the landscape with the pure white powder. The snowflakes were settling on us, my clothes and hair getting coated with them. The shapes and patterns of the snow showed prominently on my dark jacket and I could see them on my eyelashes.

I threw my head back and stuck out my tongue.

"What are you doing?", Pony laughed.

"I'm trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue", I responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He just watched me having my fun for a few minutes, snow gathering on his coat and head.

"Aren't you going to play in the snow too, honey?", I questioned, cocking my head slightly.

Pony smirked before rushing at me and picking me up in his arms bridal style.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, smiling, "What are you doing, love?"

"Well, I'm about to kiss my princess", he answered before pressing his lips to mine.

I smiled into the kiss, running my fingers through his hair that was still mussed up from sleep.

When we pulled away, Pony looked deep into my eyes, "Glory, I love you so much, darlin'."

I smiled at him, "I love you too. So much."

He changed our position so he was holding me by the waist, his arms wrapped around it. My knees were bent so my feet were almost touching my behind. Then he started spinning me around like he did after he got his grade back on his theme from Mr. Symes, making me laugh and wrap my arms tighter around his neck. I leaned in and kissed him.

Pony stopped spinning me around after a bit and fell back into the snow, pulling me with him.

He let out an "Uff" as I lay on top of him, his hands holding my waist.

"You okay?", I asked with a laugh.

"I'm just fine", he assured me.

We stayed like that for a while, just lying in the snow until Pony spoke up, "You wanna make snow angels?"

"Yeah!", I exclaimed.

I got off of Pony and moved a few feet away from him before falling into the snow myself on my back and moving my arms and legs in and out. He followed suit.

We did that for a bit 30 seconds before Pony carefully got up from the snow and helped me get up as well. Pony wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulders as we admired our work.

"We did a good job, darlin'", he told me, kissing my temple.

"Yes we did, honey", I said.

"Lily! Ponyboy!", my mom called, "Come back in here before you catch hypothermia."

We begrudgingly walked out of the snow and back to the house where Mom waited for us with a smile.

"Did y'all have your fun?", she asked with a laugh.

"Definitely", I responded, taking off my jacket and wiping off my shoes, Pony doing the same next to me.

"Well, there's hot chocolate in the kitchen for you", Mom told us as she walked into her and Dad's room.

Pony and I sat at the table in chairs next to each other and carefully grabbed the mugs of hot chocolate on the table. In the middle of the table were pictures that hadn't been there before we had gone outside, along with the family Polaroid camera.

I laughed when I looked at the photos.

"What are those?", Pony asked.

"I guess my parents took some pictures of us playing in the snow", I told him, handing them to him.

Pony looked through them, "Why does everyone always take pictures of us?"

"I don't know. Maybe we're just extremely photogenic", I joked.

"Now, if only I could be this photogenic in class pictures", he said.

"I'm sure yours are fine. Mine, on the other hand, are terrible."

"They can't be that bad."

"Oh, but they are."

Pony rolled his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to win this one.

There were about 7 pictures in total of us playing in the snow. Our front yard was small so you could see Pony and I's faces from where the pictures must have been taken at the front door. One was of me catching snowflakes on my tongue, my head thrown back and my arms spread out. Pony was a few feet away from me with a smile on his face, just watching me. Two were of Pony carrying me bridal style in his arms and we were kissing, one of his arms around my back and his other under my knees. Mine were around his neck. Two other pictures had Pony holding me by the waist just after he had spun me around. The last two were both pictures of us in the snow. One was me lying on top of him and the other was of the two of us making snow angels.

"I'm taking these ones", Pony said as he picked two photos out of the bunch. Then he handed the rest back to me. When I looked through the remaining pictures, I saw that the ones he had taken were me catching snowflakes with my tongue, him holding me bridal style as we kissed and him holding me up by the waist.

I took the other ones.

At about 5 o'clock, Darry came to pick up Pony on his way home from work.

"Bye, honey", I said, leaning up and giving him a kiss, "I love you."

"Bye, darlin'", he responded, giving me a tight hug, "I love you too. And I always will."

With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left my house, getting into Darry's truck. After the car accident, Steve gave Darry an old truck that had been in the shop for a bit. Steve had fixed it up so it would run pretty well again.

Not even 15 minutes later, Mom called up the stairs that I had a phone call from Ashlynn.

"Hi, Ash", I greeted.

"Lily! Lily! Lily!", she cried, making me pull my ear away from the speaker.

"What? What? What?", I said back, albeit not as loudly.

"I have a date!"

"That's great! When is it?"

"The eighth! And I was planning on it being a double-date so would you come with Ponyboy?"

"I'll ask him, but the answer will probably be yes. Who's the lucky guy?"

"It's a surprise", she giggled.

"Do I know him?"

"Yes."

I chuckled confusedly, "Alright. I'll get back to you. Bye, Ash."

"Bye, Lily."

 _Well,_ I thought, _I guess I probably have plans for next Saturday._

 **Hey, y'all! Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. I had a ton of homework and I couldn't get much access to the computer (and therefore the story) for the past few days. I decided to try something new with the changing points of view. I don't know if I'm going to be doing it very often, but we'll see. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	27. Chapter 27

Ashlynn and I confirmed the plans for the date that Monday. It was the first day back at school and dance after Christmas Break. I had asked Pony if the date sounded alright with him and, as expected, he said yes.

"Will you tell me who it is yet?", I whined to Ashlynn as we sat in the dancers' lounge.

"No", she laughed, "Not yet. You'll just have to wait and see until we're on the date."

"Can you at least tell me if he's a Greaser or a Soc?"

"He's a Greaser", she confirmed.

"Where is this date taking place, exactly?"

"I was thinking that diner downtown", she responded.

I knew she was talking about the one that Lizzie worked at.

"Sounds good. I'll make sure to tell Pony."

A few days later, on Saturday, I got ready nervously. Ashlynn had told me that I knew the guy she was going out with, but that didn't give me many hints. And since almost all of the boys that I knew were Greasers, her telling me that her date was too didn't really narrow the options down.

Darry's birthday had been three days before and we had had a small party, much like Soda's, at the Curtis house after everyone was home from work and school. Soda was still excited about his date, the date of which had been moved from Friday to Saturday. He didn't mind, though.

I put on a black skirt that went down to my knees with a sweater and my flats. I put my hair in a French braid with a black headband holding the small pieces of hair near my hairline out of my face. I was shrugging on my jacket just as Pony came to the door.

"Hey, honey", I greeted as I struggled to put my arm in the jacket sleeve.

Pony laughed, "You need some help there, darlin'?"

"No", I told him, "I'm good."

"If you say so", Pony said, putting his hand up in surrender.

It turned out that the sleeve was inside-out, although it took me a good 5 minutes to figure that out. My boyfriend was sitting on the couch, watching me with an amused expression the entire time. He's the one that gave me that essential information.

"You know your sleeve's inside-put, don't you, Lily?"

I groaned, "You couldn't have told me this five minutes ago?"

"Hey, you said you didn't want help."

"Oh, shut up", I muttered, trying not to laugh.

"Love you too", Pony joked back.

My mom chose that time to walk into the living room. She must have been doing something in the other room.

"Are y'all alright out here?", she asked with a smirk.

"I've been trying to get my arm into the sleeve for a good five minutes and my wonderful boyfriend just now decides to tell me that it's inside-out."

She started laughing, "You got it figured out now?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Mother. I'm just peachy now."

Pony and I left my house soon after that, walking to downtown Tulsa, the sun setting in the sky. Our fingers were intertwined.

"She still won't tell me who her date is", I told him.

"Soda won't tell the gang who the girl he's going on a date with is either."

"Isn't his date tonight too?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"I hope it goes well for him. He deserves it."

"That he does, Lily. That he does."

We got to the diner a little bit later and quickly found Ashlynn at a booth.

"Hi, Ash. Where's your date?", I asked.

"Oh, he just went to the bathroom. He'll be back in a minute."

Pony and I sat together in the boot seat across the table from where Ashlynn and her date were. We all talked for a bit about school and such until her date came over.

I looked up to see to see his face and saw Sodapop.

He looked extremely confused, "Lily? Ponyboy? What're y'all doin' here?"

"I think we're the other couple on your double-date", I laughed.

Ashlynn had a smirk on her face.

"You knew about this, didn't you?", I questioned her.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't", she said back.

Pony and Soda were still kind of confused.

"So you're Ashlynn's date?", Pony asked his brother.

"Yeah. And you're the Ashlynn's friend's boyfriend?", Soda asked back.

"Yeah. I guess I am", Pony said before looking at me, "And you didn't know about this?"

I shook my head with a chuckle, "Not a clue."

After a few minutes, the shock wore off and we were all able to talk and eat normally (save for a little awkwardness).

Soda had slung an arm over Ashlynn's shoulder, making her blush which made me laugh.

"You know she had a crush on you", I said to Soda.

Ash almost spit out her Coke. Her cheeks turned an almost incomprehensible shade of red.

Soda just smirked, "Is that right?"

Ashlynn didn't lose her blush.

Soda wasn't going to make her feel bad. I knew that for a fact. He just smiled a little and kissed her cheek, "I think it's cute."

Her eyes went wide for a second before she smiled, her face still flushed.

We all ended up having a nice time on the date, laughing and talking the rest of the night.

About a month later, it was Valentine's Day. Pony and I's first. By then, his hair was back to its natural color, although shorter than his hair usually was since the blond had to be cut out. We exchanged gifts at during our daily morning walk to school. We both knew that the other wouldn't be giving a big fancy gift and both of us were perfectly fine with that. We didn't need them.

I pulled "The Catcher in the Rye" out of my backpack and handed it to Pony with a smile, "You've been talking about wanting to read it for a bit, so I figured that I'd get it for you."

He brightly smiled back at me and kissed me, "Thank you, darlin'. I love it."

Pony took something out from his bag too and put in into my hand. It was a card. The front read "Happy Valentine's Day, Lily" with a simple red, hand-drawn heart underneath. Opening the card, I found the words "Turn around, Princess" written.

I did as the card instructed and turned around to see Pony holding 3 roses.

"Happy Valentine's Day, darlin'", he smiled.

"Aww, honey", I cooed, putting a hand to my heart, "You're so sweet."

He handed the flowers to me before pulling me into a hug and giving me a sweet kiss.

"I love you", I told him when we pulled away.

"I love you too. And I always will", Pony responded, leaning down to give me a final peck on the lips before grabbing my hand and continuing our walk to school.

The months went by, both Pony and I doing well in school. Pony got his grades to a constant good place, making us all happy (mostly Darry). The snow and frost melted away and the winter's cold dissolved into spring's warmth. Leaves' buds started popping up on trees and the beginnings of flowers started growing from the ground, the green leaves and stems making themselves known. I wore dresses more than I had in the winter and didn't have to wear tights with them anymore. The sun felt nice soaking into my skin whenever I was outside.

"I love spring", I said one day to Ponyboy as we were walking together. It was a weekend in April and we were taking a walk around the park.

"Why's that?", he asked.

"I don't know. Everything's just so beautiful and warm and new. Gold, I guess you could say."

He smiled at my reference to Robert Frost's poem, "You know what I've noticed?"

"What?"

"The gang's brought it up to me before, but I really never noticed until now. You don't have the same kinda accent that we do."

I cocked my head a little, "What do you mean?"

"I dunno. You just don't sound like you're from here usually. Sometimes you sound a little like Dally when he got back fro New York. Your mom and dad too."

It clicked in my mind, "Yeah, I suppose."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Well, my parents aren't from here", I told him, "They're from Boston. After they got married, they moved here. They grew up in more of the poorer part of Boston, so when they came here they didn't have much money and have been Greasers ever since."

Pony was looking at me intrigued so I continued, "My mom was the grandchild of Italian immigrants. Dad's grandparents came from Scotland and Ireland. You can definitely tell that Mom's Italian. Her name _is_ Victoria Bongiovanni Smith. Since they were both brought up in Boston, they both had Boston accents. They didn't want me to have one, so after I was born they started watching what they said and how they said it. I have a little bit of one. It mostly comes out when I'm tired and don't really feel like trying to hide it. The twins' don't really come out either."

"I've noticed it coming out sometimes", Pony told me with a smirk, "I think it's cute."

I sighed, "Well, I would prefer to have a Southern accent like you do. The only thing that gives me away as being raised here is that I say 'y'all'. I think your accent is better. It certainly sounds better. Accents from up North; Boston, New York, et cetera are…colder. More harsh."

He smiled, "The interesting thing is that of all things, I wouldn't guess you're Italian."

I sighed again, this time with an unamused laugh, "Honey, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I've been told that. I pulled the short stick in complexion genetics. I got my dad's Scottish and Irish pale skin instead of my mom's darker Italian skin. The only 'Italian' thing that I have feature-wise is my eyes. Everything else is Scottish and Irish. Summer is always terrible. Last summer, I went swimming and forgot to put on more sunscreen every time I got out of the water so I got an awful sunburn. I was red all over for about a week and a half. Ashlynn called me 'Sunny' the entire time."

"Even with the chance of sunburns, I'd rather you the way you are. You might be pale, but it makes your eyes more noticeable."

I could feel my face get hot.

Pony laughed, "It also makes your blushing more noticeable."

"Well, now you have an idea of what I look like with a sunburn. Take me blushing and multiply that by about five and cover me in that color and you've got me in the summer."

He pulled me into his side by my waist, hugging me tightly as we walked and gave me a kiss on my temple, "Some good thing has to come out of summer for you, darlin."

"I don't know if I would count it as a good thing, but my hair gets lighter and redder. That's also the Scottish genetics. And I always seem to get one single blonde streak. The twins get freckles, but I don't really. When I get a sunburn, it fades into a tan, but it's only maybe a shade darker."

"The same thing happens to Soda's hair in the summer. It's weird that him and Ashlynn are dating."

"Yeah. But I'm happy for them. From what Ashlynn's told me, they're doing well. They've kissed."

"Glory, do I ever know that", Pony chuckled, "They kissed during a date and right after the date, Soda ran home and busted through the door, telling the whole gang. It was certainly interesting."

"Isn't that what he did when he got the date with her?"

"Yeah it is, although we didn't find out that it was Ashlynn who he was going out with until the actual date."

"Our lives are strange. I mean, I never thought that at fourteen I'd lose two friends, get in a car accident, save some kids from a burning building, fall in love or have my best friend start dating my boyfriend's brother, but all of that's what ended up happening."

Pony smiled lightly at me, "I don't think anybody did. It doesn't seem possible. Like it should be in a movie or something."

"Yeah. It definitely does."

We continued our walk through the park, enjoying the scenery. Little kids were playing on the playground, their parents chatting on the benches with others. Couples were walking around hand-in-hand like Pony and I. We were both lost in our thoughts, a comfortable silence settling. Then Pony stopped abruptly, making me stop too.

I looked up at him in concern, "Honey, what's wrong?"

He looked down at me, then back up. I followed his gaze and saw a fountain about 50 feet in front of us. It was _the_ fountain. The one where Pony was almost drowned by Socs. The one where Johnny killed Bob, causing everything to snowball.

I squeezed my boyfriend's hand, "I know."

He nodded almost microscopically, his eyes stilled fixed on the fountain which was bubbling water happily as though no murder, no ruining of lives had happened here just 6 months ago.

I got an idea, "Pony, come with me."

Not waiting for a response, I dragged him to the dreaded fountain. He had a confused yet nervous expression on his face.

"Darlin', what're you doing?"

"We are going to sit at the fountain", I responded nonchalantly.

"But why?"

"Because if you associate something with bad things, you start to fear it. And I am sure as hell not letting you become scared of a water fountain, Ponyboy Curtis."

I sat down on the stone ledge and patted the spot next to me, gesturing for Pony to sit which he did, albeit hesitantly.

"Close your eyes", I instructed.

He did as I said.

"Now just take everything in. Don't think about what happened. Just breathe and listen and touch if you want to."

I gave him my hand which he gladly accepted. I watched him doing as I told him. His chest rose and fell slowly with the calming breaths. We held hands differently than we usually did, our palms pressed tightly together instead of our fingers being intertwined. The light spring breeze gently rustled our hair and the leaves on the trees. I knew Pony was listening to that. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles softly, making me smile softly and blush a little. Pony pulled me close to him and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, me wrapping mine around his middle. His eyes were still closed and when I lay my head in the crook of his neck, I could feel him continuing to take deep breaths.

I sometimes moved my head to look up at his face. He looked peaceful. Kind of like when he was sleeping. The sun glinted off his greased hair (which he had started using less grease in as promised). His eyelashes were long like most boys' were, but they were fairly light, so you couldn't really see them well unless you were at the right angle. Pony didn't seem to realize how much he looked like Sodapop. They both had the same angular face and the same shaped features. After losing myself in my thoughts while looking at Pony, he opened an eye and looked at me.

"Darlin', you're burnin' a hole in the side of my head. Just lettin' you know", he told me.

I laughed a little, "Sorry. Just thinking."

He opened both eyes and looked at me, "About what?"

"You mostly."

Pony smirked, "What about me?"

"Just kinda you in general", I answered, "Do you feel better now, honey?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for that, Princess. I needed it."

I smiled, "It's what I do."

Ponyboy stood up and held out his hand to help me up, "Let's keep going."

I accepted it, standing up and wiping the back of my dress quickly before continuing our walk.

 **Hello, my people! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Once again, I didn't get much access to the computer and therefore the story. And "Meggels", please tell me who won your bet and what the sides of it where. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	28. Chapter 28

The comforting warmth of the spring soon turned to the humid, hot temperature of early summer. When Steve's birthday arrived, we had the typical celebration at the Curtis house which, in this case, included Soda shoving some cake in his best friend's face since Steve was "officially a man" because he turned 18. School was ending in early June and you could feel the tension in the air at school of everyone wanting to be out.

It was early-May when we had an unusually hot day. I didn't feel like wearing a dress that day and it was a Saturday, so I put on jean shorts and a light blue t-shirt with my grey Converse and necklace. My hair had grown back to its length to the small of my back and when it was at that length, I couldn't put it in a ponytail without getting a headache and that was the last thing that I needed, so I tied it up into a ballet bun and put on a white bandana as a headband. It was too hot to leave it down and if I put it in a braid, the humidity would mess it up in minutes, so the bun was the best option.

I walked to the Curtis' at about noon, opening the door to see the Two-Bit and Pony sprawled out in the living room.

"Did I miss something?", I asked with a laugh.

Two-Bit groaned, "It's hot."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious", I said with and eye roll, "It's May in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It gets hot."

Ponyboy just lay on the couch in a white t-shirt and boxers.

"You good over there, honey?", I called across the room.

He gave me a thumbs up, "Just peachy, darlin'."

"Y'all want to do something?", I questioned.

They shrugged.

"We could go to the DX", Pony suggested.

"Sure. Although, you may want to get dressed first", I told him before turning to Two-Bit, "You comin', Keith?"

He didn't even say anything about me using his real name, just shaking his head and saying, "Too hot. Gonna drink some cold beers and see what happens. Maybe a blonde will come to me in a dream and tell me what to do."

"Suit yourself", I told him.

Pony had gone into his room to change and came back out rather quickly, sporting jeans, Converse, and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He quickly did whatever he does in the bathroom and came back out, grabbing my hand. We said goodbye to Two-Bit and headed out.

"You look nice in shorts", Pony said.

I blushed a little, "Thanks, honey."

He laughed at my reaction and kissed my cheek, "No problem, darlin'."

After a few minutes we got to the DX. The thermometer in the window said that it was eighty-five degrees outside.

Sodapop was working at the counter with 5 girls fawning over him. His DX shirt was open, showing the wife-beater underneath.

"Sorry ladies, but I'm taken", he told them.

They walked out reluctantly, noticeably swinging their hips.

Pony and I snorted in laughter, "They're trying way to hard."

Soda sighed with a small laugh, "Yeah, I know. They always do. It's annoying as all hell, though. How're y'all doin' this fine Tulsa afternoon?"

"Well, I walked into your house to find Two-Bit and your brother bumming around. Me and Pony decided to come here while our friend Keith is going to drink cold beer and hope that a blonde comes to him in a dream."

"Sounds about right", Soda admitted as he counted some money from the register.

"Hey!", Pony said in defense, "I wasn't bumming around!"

"Pony, honey, when I walked into the house you were laying on the couch in a shirt and boxers. I'm sorry to tell you, but you were, in fact, bumming around."

He made an exaggerated pout.

I laughed at him and pecked his lips.

"Oh, to be young and in love", Soda sighed.

"Soda, you're sixteen and you've been dating someone for the past, like, five months. And that someone happens to be my best friend."

He gave us one of his movie-star smiles, " You two can grab some drinks out of the freezer. It's on the house."

We both thanked him before grabbing our drinks; Pony a Pepsi and me a Coke.

Pony leaned against our side the counter took a swig of his soda. I walked over to him and leaned against him, my back to his chest. He rested his chin on top of my head. I was confused. Last I'd checked, he hadn't been able to do that.

I turned around, a confused look only face.

"Something wrong?", Pony asked.

"You grew", I told him.

"Huh?"

"You grew", I said again, "You're taller than you were."

"And you can tell this how…?"

"You couldn't put your chin on top of my head before and now you can."

"I don't think I grew, Princess", he said.

"Yes, you did."

"No. I don't think so, darlin'."

"Sodapop!", I called.

He popped up from where he had been crouching looking for something under the counter, "You rang?"

"Do you have a tape measure?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I'm trying to prove to Ponyboy that he grew."

Soda rolled his eyes with a chuckle and quickly found a tape measure, handing it to me.

I unrolled it and put the end under the toe of Pony's shoe before measuring up, standing on my toes and leaning with my hand on the countertop when it was high enough.

I marked the place on the tape with my thumb, "How tall were you before, love? And when was the last time you were measured?"

Pony scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking, "I dunno…I think five-seven back in September."

I looked up at him with a smirk, "Well, according to this tape measure, you're five-ten and a half. That's three and a half inches in about…", I paused to count on my fingers, "…seven months."

"Fine", he sighed, "You win."

"I always do", I told him in a sing-song voice, "But you still love me."

He laughed, "That I do, Lily. That I do. Now it's time to measure you."

Pony smirked a little as he playfully snatched the tape measure from my hand, "Stand up straight, Smith."

"I always do, Curtis", I retorted.

He did as I had done earlier to him, sticking the end under the toe of my shoe and measuring up, although obviously not having to stand on tip-toe like I had had to do.

"And how tall were _you_ the last time you were measured?"

"Five-three and a half I think", I responded hesitantly, kind of unsure.

"Well, at the moment you're…", he looked at where his finger was on the tape, "…five-four."

I groaned, "Dammit."

Soda and Pony laughed at my reaction.

"What's wrong with that?", Pony asked with a chuckle.

"I'm going to stop growing soon", I told him.

"And you know this how?"

"Girls stop growing at about fourteen or fifteen. Boys stop at about sixteen. And yes, Soda, that does mean that you're going to be quite a bit taller than Ashlynn."

He looked at me confusedly.

"She's only going to be about five-four", I paused to take a sip of my Coke, "And you're six feet. That's a good eight inch difference. And don't you even think about talking to Ashlynn about that. She may be small and she is older than me, but she is vicious when you get her mad."

Just then the bell that signaled the door being opened rang and Ashlynn walked in.

"I heard my name?", she questioned.

"Speak of the devil and she doth appear", I said.

She stuck her tongue out at me and I did the same to her.

"Love you, Ash."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah", she waved me off teasingly.

Our boyfriends were laughing once again, this time at our banter.

"Hey, sweetheart", Sodapop greeted Ashlynn, leaning down and across the counter to kiss her cheek, "What can I do for you today?"

"A soda would be nice. And, as wonderful as you are, babe, I don't mean you", she told him.

Sodapop pouted like Pony had earlier and Ashlynn did the same thing that I had done, but since there was the height difference, she practically had to jump on him to kiss him.

"You excited for the show?", I asked her after.

"Hell yeah!", she exclaimed.

"Hey Soda", Pony said, "Come with me for a minute."

Soda looked confused again, but Pony just nodded his head towards the break room and walking in with soda following.

"What do you think they're talkin' about?", Ashlynn asked me as she hopped up on the counter.

"I don't know", I told her as I did the same.

We continued to talk until someone came through the door. It was a guy a little older than us, maybe sixteen or seventeen. He was a greaser, you could tell that immediately with his oiled up hair, jeans, and leather jacket. A cigarette was tucked behind his ear. What he was doing wearing a leather jacket in eighty-five degree heat, I didn't know.

He smiled dangerously at the two of us.

"Would you like something?", I asked, "We don't work here, but the guy who's working register is in the break room. We could get him."

The boy shook his head, "I pulled in to get a pack of weeds, but when I looked in the window I saw y'all fine broads and had to come in to get me one of you."

"Excuse me", I said, sitting up a little straighter, "First of all, we're not 'broads' and second of all, we both have boyfriends. So unless you'd like to get your head beat in, I'd suggest you leave us alone."

"C'mon, baby", he said as he leaned into my face, making me lean back on my hands, "They don't need to know anythin'."

He looked over at Ashlynn, "How 'bout you? I could show you a good time."

She looked terrified. Ashlynn had never been good with strangers, she was more introverted than me. Right now as this guy was hitting on us, she looked just about ready to wet herself.

"You get away from her", I growled.

He looked back at me with a smirk, placing his hands on my uncovered thighs, making my face feel hot, "Oh, so you _do_ want some of me, baby?"

I faked a sweet smile, "Maybe I do. But I can't get up if you've got me stuck to the counter, now can I?"

He smirked again and went back to his regular posture.

Ashlynn gave me a look that said, 'What are you doing?'

I just looked back and held up a hand to say, 'I've got this.'

I turned back to the guy and hopped off the counter, standing to my full height, giving him a faux smile once again.

"You wanna know a secret?", I asked, pulling him down a little by the collar of his jacket. He smiled eagerly.

"Well", I whispered, "I can fight and I think you're just the kind of person that needs to be shown how to act."

I quickly pushed him away before kneeing him in the groin, making him sink to his knees and groan loudly. I gave him a right hook in the face before pulling him up to my face by his collar.

"Now you're gonna get your ass out of here and leave us alone", I yelled menacingly.

He glared at me before and I flipped him the bird before he stumbled out of the building.

Just then, Pony and Soda came running out of the break room and Steve came out of the garage.

"What the hell happened?", Pony asked.

"We heard yelling", Soda said.

I shook out my hand, "Well, some guy came in and started hitting on us. Asking if we wanted to come with him for a 'good time' and whatnot. I played along before kneeing him where the sun don't shine and punching him in the face. Then I told him something along the lines of 'Get your ass out of here and leave us alone'. That's when he scrammed."

The boys were looking at me in shock. Ashlynn was still kind of still in shock on the counter.

I walked over to her and waved in her face, "Hey Ash! Earth to Ashlynn! Anybody in there?"

She blinked and nodded, "Yeah, I'm here. Glory, I forgot you could fight."

I smirked and breathed out a small laugh, "Pony, could you please get me some ice?"

"Why?"

"Well, when I punched that bastard it hurt my knuckles and I'd rather not have a bruise that I'd have to explain to my parents."

He nodded and grabbed me an icepack.

"Thanks, honey", I told him when he gave it to me.

"No problem, tough-girl", he said back, giving me a peck on the lips.

"Damn, Lily", Steve laughed, "We know not to mess with you."

"Didn't you already know that, Stevie? If I knew that you didn't, I would've been happy to show you."

He rolled his eyes and went back to the garage.

Sodapop got back behind the counter, watching Ashlynn (who was still sitting on the counter) closely since she still looked a tad shaken up. Ponyboy had his arm tightly around my shoulders as we leaned against the counter. My head rested on his shoulder as I continued to ice my knuckles.

After a while, Pony and I went back to his house. Steve, Soda and Ashlynn would meet us there after the boys' shifts.

Two-Bit was still on the couch.

"Did any blondes come to you in a dream?", I teased.

He sighed, "No, but I'm still waiting."

Two-Bit sat up when he saw the icepack on my hand, "What did you do this time?"

"She got in a fight", Pony answered.

"No, I didn't", I argued, "I just beat someone up."

Two-Bit was fully awake now, his attention completely on me, "You did what?"

"A guy was hitting on me and Ashlynn at the DX while Soda and Pony where in the break room and Steve was in the garage. I got fed up with him, so I trickled him and beat him up."

"And you beat him up how exactly…?"

"I kneed him in the crotch and punched him in the face. Hence the icepack."

"Good job", Two-Bit praised.

"Thank you", I then turned to Pony and held out my arms. He laughed and gave me a hug, once again resting his chin on top of my head.

"You're so short", he told me.

"Shut up, Pony", I said into his chest.

He laughed, "It's cute."

"Just wait 'til your voice starts cracking. Then we'll really see who's the cute one."

Two-Bit was laughing from the couch and when I looked up, I saw Pony's blush reddened face.

I stood up on tip-toe and gave him a peck on the lips, "You're okay. It's a hard time for all of us."

Pony rolled his eyes, his cheeks and the tips of his ears still red.

We all sat on the couch, watching the T.V until Soda and Ashlynn walked through the door.

"Did you lose Steve again, Soda?", I asked.

"Hardy-har-har", he said sarcastically, "No, we didn't lose him. He went out with Evie. He just forgot to tell us about it earlier."

"Will I ever meet her?", Ashlynn asked. I hadn't met her yet either.

Soda shrugged, "You'll meet her eventually. I dunno when, but you will."

About half an hour later, Darry came in drenched in sweat.

"It's a good thing your makin' dinner, Sodapop", he said, "Call me in when it's ready." With that, he trudged into his room.

"Is he okay?", I asked.

"Yeah", Pony assured me, "Hot days are always the worst for him when he's roofing."

I nodded in understanding.

"Are y'all staying for dinner?", he questioned Ashlynn and I.

We looked at each other and came to a mutual agreement, "Sure."

"I'll never understand how you do that", Pony said.

"Do what?"

"Know what the other is thinking by just a look."

"Well, I _have_ known her since we were two", I reminded him, "And I can kind of do the same thing with you."

"Is that right?"

"Yep."

We ate dinner soon after, Soda's cooking proving edible.

Exactly two weeks later, it was the day of the dance show.

I got myself mostly ready at home, putting my hair into as perfect of a bun as I could and applying the stage makeup. I was dressed in a skirt and button-down sweater over my skin colored bra, leotard, and dance tights with sparkly stud earrings, bringing a shirt, socks, and my necklace in my bag to put on after the show when all my dance equipment was off. My family and I usually went to dinner somewhere after the show. Usually a diner or Dairy Queen or something. Usually Ashlynn and her mom joined us.

Light blue eye shadow was on my eyelids with gold on the outer corner, black eyeliner was winged on my eye line and my eyelashes were covered with mascara, making them look even darker than usual. I was finishing putting red lipstick on when Mom knocked on my door. We (as in the whole family) always drove to the venue early so I could get settled and because we only had one car and weren't going to let anyone walk to the venue.

"You decent?", she inquired.

"Uh huh", I said loud enough for her to hear.

She opened the door as I turned around.

"I'm always so confused how you're good at makeup since I'm certainly not."

"It's a gift", I said, grabbing my costumes from where they had been hanging in my room and my bag and slipping on my flats, "Let's go."

I fell in love with our ballet costume the moment I saw it. As opposed to last year's flow peach dress, this year's was my favorite color, light blue, with gold detailing on the bodice and skirt. The skirt was a pancake skirt, sticking out pretty straight from the bottom of the bodice. The dress was sleeveless, straps being what held it up. There was a small silver tiara that we would be wearing for "Swan Lake Waltz" and the "Russian Dance". For the "Spanish Dance" we were putting a small and fake gold flower clip in our hair.

Tap dancing had been introduced into the curriculum only a few years ago (I think I was in 5th grade) and I guess we were good considering the first year we performed tap as well as ballet in the show. Our tap costume this year was a sailer suit with buttons, the striped blue and white striped cape, red and white striped part that was supposed to look like a shirt peeking out from the "vest", the works.

This year my class was performing to three ballet songs in the show: "Swan Lake Waltz", "Spanish Dance", and "Russian Dance" (our teacher liked Tchaikovsky). Our tap songs were "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got that Swing)". We would be dancing to the songs one right after the other.

When we got to the venue, I put on my costume and tied on my tap shoes. Ashlynn showed up a few minutes later.

"You ready?", I asked with a smile.

"You bet your butt I'm ready", she laughed.

I rolled my eyes at her. Other dancers started filing in soon after.

Before we knew it, the show was starting. My class was in the wings of the stage, waiting to go on. The pre-show jitters were setting in. I took some deep breaths to calm my nerves.

Ashlynn was smirking at me, "You okay over there?"

"Yeah. I'm good."

"Good 'cause we're about to go on", she said as the music for the tap dance before us ended.

I took a final deep breath, "Let's do this."

Everyone went onto the stage and got into our positions facing upstage. The music started and we turned around to face the audience in sync during the introduction and putting our hands to our foreheads in a salute. We instantly started doing time steps. Everything went according to plan.

We ran back backstage to retouch our makeup and prepare for ballet while the yap part of the show was finishing up.

"How d'you think we did?", Ashlynn asked me as she applied more blush to her cheeks.

"Good. How about you?"

"Me too."

After a few minutes we went back into the stage's wings, watching the other dancers. The little toddlers came out and even though they weren't the best, they were adorable, dancing to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

"It's hard to believe we were like that", I said.

"Yeah", she replied, "and it's hard to believe that soon we're going to be like them." She gestured to the 17 and 18 year olds that were in the wings with us.

I let out soft chuckle, "It's definitely weird."

The introduction of "Swan Lake Waltz" played. We all waited in the wings for that, entering the stage when the violins started. The waltz was fairly calm except for a couple parts that were filled with jumps and pirouettes.

All of us went offstage, going back into the wings to wait for our next ballet dance. Those three weren't one after the other.

"Spanish Dance" went on after about two dances and before we knew it, we were once again in the wings waiting for "Russian Dance".

"Are you excited?", Ashlynn asked.

"Extremely", I answered, "And you?"

"Ditto."

The music of the previous number faded and Ash gave my hand a quick squeeze of reassurance as we got into the lines that we were going onstage from.

The violins started playing and the lines immediately made their way onto the stage. During the especially energetic parts, we did sauté arabesques and at the end, we all stomped a foot on the stage. I stood there with one hand on my hip and the other palm up in the air with my arm extended as straight as it could go. My chest moved heavily with the deep, adrenaline induced breaths I was taking. The crowd burst into applause and cheers and my already large smile grew massive.

Ashlynn and I curtsied quickly in response to the audience's reaction to our duet before heading offstage with the rest of our class. We were going back to the wings once again since there were only about 2 more dances until bows.

"We did it!", I squealed, albeit quietly, grabbing her hands and jumping up and down a little.

She gave me a slight giggle, "We did! At least, I think we did. I blacked out a little."

I laughed at her, "I can throughly assure you, we did it."

"Good. Just makin' sure."

A few minutes later, the classes (from oldest to youngest) individually came out onto stage in their ballet costumes, clasped hands, and bent down at the waist in a bow. The oldest class always performed last. Some seniors got solos as well.

Our teacher came out onto the stage and handed out small medals as awards for five year students, ten year students, and fifteen year students before giving a medal and a small bouquet to the leaving seniors.

The audience was clapping in intervals for the students, both when we bowed and when the awards were being distributed. Everyone gave a simultaneous curtsy to our teacher before we all left to go backstage into the dressing rooms and change.

Ashlynn and I took off our costumes and got into our regular clothes and shoes and I put on my necklace before grabbing our costumes and dance bags and walking out of the dressing room together to where we knew her mom and my family would meet us since it was in the same place every year.

We were talking about how the dances went when I looked up for a second. I knew my way around the building where the shows took place like the back of my hand considering the show was held at this venue every year, so I knew this was the place our families were meeting us. When I looked up, I saw our families as expected, but I also saw people that I was not expecting at all: Sodapop and Ponyboy.

I gasped, "Ash, look who's here."

She had kept her eyes on my face even when I had looked up, so following my eyes, she gasped too.

Pony and Soda were both standing with our families in marginally nice clothes. Marginally meaning they were probably the nicest clothes they had next to suits which were clean jeans and clean, tucked in shirts. They had small bouquets in their hands and smiles on their faces.

"What are you doing here?", I laughed, putting my bag down and my costume bags on top of it before giving Pony a hug. Ashlynn was doing the same to Soda.

Pony spun me around a little, "We came to see you two."

He put me down and I gave him a peck on the lips before wrapping my arms around his middle and putting my head his shoulder, him wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"Do you want us to leave?", Soda joked, putting an arm around Ash's shoulders.

"No!", we both said, making everyone laugh.

"We're just surprised", Ashlynn said.

I turned to my parents, "Did you know about this?"

They nodded, smiling.

"Yeah", my mom told me, "They told us the other day. We just didn't tell you so you'd be surprised."

"Picture time!", Ashlynn and I's moms cried excitedly.

Ashlynn and I sighed, but complied to the demand, disengaging ourselves from our boyfriends and going to stand next to each other. I rested my elbow in her shoulder, earning a glare from her.

I laughed and got into our usual photo-taking position with Ash putting an arm around my waist and me putting one around her shoulders. Our moms pulled out their cameras and started taking pictures. My dad was standing on the sideline giving me a sort of helpless 'what are you gonna do' expression. Pony and Soda were watching with amusement, smirks on their faces and their arms crossed. The flowers were sticking out from the crooks of their elbows.

When our mothers had gotten their fair share of pictures of Ash and I, they asked Pony and Soda if they could take some pictures of my family and Ashlynn and her mom together and separately. They agreed, taking enough pictures to satisfy them.

Then our moms asked a passerby to get pictures of everyone including Ponyboy and Sodapop. The boys came over and stood with us, Soda putting an arm around Ashlynn's shoulders and Pony doing the same to me. Once we had gotten enough of those, our moms insisted on couple pictures.

The camera lens was occupied by Ashlynn, Sodapop, Ponyboy, and I.

"Girls, give them a kiss on the cheek or something", Mom instructed.

I went on tip-toe, giving Pony a kiss in the cheek. In my peripheral vision, I could see Ash doing the same to Soda, although she once again basically had to jump on him. He kind of just picked her up with a chuckle.

"Now individual couples", Mom ordered. If this is how our post-dance show goes, I have a bad feeling about prom pictures, I thought.

Ashlynn and Soda went first, her mom, Ms. Young, taking those.

Ponyboy and I went after them.

"You did amazing out there, darlin'", he said while my mom was cleaning the camera lens so she could take the pictures, "You looked beautiful."

I blushed, "Thanks, honey."

Pony laughed a little at my embarrassment, "Seriously though, you did such a great job. The audience loved you. I'm proud of you."

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, "I love you, honey."

He grinned back, wrapping his arms securely around my waist, "I love you too. And I always will."

Pony leaned his head down and kissed me. It lasted for a little bit (we weren't making out) before my mom said, "I think we're good with the kissing, thank you very much."

We pulled away, both blushing. You could probably see my red face even under all the makeup. I laughed when I looked back at his face.

"What's so funny?", Pony asked, clearly confused.

"There's lipstick all over your lips and cheek", I giggled.

"I'm sure if I have lipstick on me, Soda does too", he told me.

"Very true."

"I almost forgot", Pony said, pulling out the bouquet, "Flowers. For you, my princess." He fake bowed, making me laugh.

I took the flowers from him and curtsied, "Thank you, my love."

My dad rolled his eyes a little while my mom was smiling behind the camera. Ashlynn's mom was talking to her and Sodapop. Anna and Henry were immersed in their own conversation.

"Are you two coming to dinner with us?", I asked Pony.

"I don't know. I'll ask Soda."

We walked over to Soda who was watching the animated conversation Ashlynn and her mom were having with amusement.

"Pepsi-Cola", Pony started, addressing Soda by his nickname, "Lily wants to know if we're going to dinner with them."

Soda scrunched up his eyebrows for a minute, thinking, "Well, we have to be invited. We can't just barge in."

"Don't worry, boys", my dad said, hearing our conversation, "You're invited."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith", Ponyboy said.

My dad smiled at him.

"Darry said we have to be home by ten…", Soda thought aloud, "So I think we'll be okay."

"I figure Ashlynn and Ms. Young are coming with us?", Pony questioned my dad.

"Yes", my dad agreed, "They are. They usually do."

"Where are we going this time?", I asked.

"Probably Dairy Queen per usual."

I nodded and went over to my mom as Pony talked to my dad and Soda.

"How do you think the pictures turned out?"

She smiled, "I hope they turned out good. But we won't be finding out 'til they're developed."

"We're going to Dairy Queen and Pony and Soda are probably coming with us."

"That's wonderful. They're nice boys."

I nodded with a small smile on my face, "Yeah. They are."

As if on cue, Ponyboy came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and propping his chin on my shoulder (his chin couldn't get on my head because of my bun).

"Guess who's definitely coming to dinner", he said to me, giving my cheek a kiss.

"Hmm", I pretended to think, "Is it Paul Newman? Maybe Audrey Hepburn?"  
I could almost feel him roll his eyes, "No, silly. It's me and Soda."

I turned my head around and craned my neck a little to look at him, keeping my body in the same place, "You know I was just messing with you. I somehow doubt either of them are coming."

I knew that my mom was smirking at us without even looking at her.

"I'll leave you guys alone", she said as she walked away from us, probably toward Dad or Ashlynn's mom.

I turned fully towards Pony, "Are you and Soda going coming in our car?"

"Nope. Darry let us borrow his truck as long as I made sure Soda doesn't pretend we're in a drag race."

"That was a good idea on his part."

"Yeah. Definitely."

After everyone talked for a bit, we got into our cars/trucks and drove to the Dairy Queen where we all met up, moving some tables around so all 9 of us could sit. Soda sat next to Ash and Pony sat next to me. Soda was sitting on the other side of him and Ashlynn was sitting next to Soda.

"I'm thinking of getting a job", Pony told me randomly.

"So am I", I responded, "Where're you thinking about working?"

"I don't really know yet. How 'bout you?"

"Maybe the bookstore if I can get a job there."

"The DX might hire me since Soda and Steve already work there."

"Since when are you interested in cars?"

"I'm not. They could put me on register or stocking the shelves or somethin'."

"I already babysit sometimes to get money for dance, but the money from a job would definitely help. Do Soda and Darry know that you're thinking of getting a job?"

"Not yet. I could tell them that I'd just be working for the summer, but carry on into the school year."

"Do you think you'll have the time for it? With school and track and all?"

"I dunno. I guess we'll just find out", he said with a small sigh.

I took his hand, "I'm sure we'll be fine. The both of us."

Pony smiled lightly at me before giving me a peck on the lips, "As long as you're there to reassure me, I know everything'll be fine."

My dad hit his plastic spoon that he had been eating his ice cream with against his cup.

"What's he doing?", Pony asked.

I stifled an embarrassed giggle, "He's giving a speech."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He does this after every show and I've stopped questioning it at this point."

"So", my dad began, "I do this every year after the show and each year I get more proud of my daughter and not just for her dancing. Oh yeah. You too, Ashlynn."

Everyone laughed at that. I used my hand that wasn't holding Pony's to shield my face, peeking through my fingers. I could see that he was smiling at me.

"Over the years, she has become a strong and beautiful young woman. Since I last gave this speech, a lot has happened in her life, but she has taken it all in stride. I'll admit, when I first found out she was dating a boy, I was ready to hunt him down. But after meeting him and seeing how happy they make each other, I've learned to tolerate him."

Pony's face was a little red and I'm sure mine was absolutely scarlet. I shrunk down in my seat a little, hiding my face in the top of my sweater. Pony laughed at my cowardice and squeezed my hand.

"Anyways", my dad continued, "I know I say this every year, but Lily, your mom and I are so proud to have you as our smart, beautiful, stubborn, wonderful child and we couldn't ask for a better you. So, cheers to Lily!"

Everyone raised up their drinks, even the twins, and said "Cheers!"

I was still curled up on my seat, my face probably a concerning shade of red.

Pony laughed again and pulled me up, "You good there, darlin'.?"

"Never been better", I answered as I took a sip of my Coke in hopes to cool myself off.

"Should we be concerned?", he asked my mom.

She waved it off, "Nah, it happens every year. We're used to it by now."

Pony nodded a little hesitantly, "Alright. Just making sure."

My mom snickered a bit before turning to talk to Ms. Young.

Pony kissed the back of my hand and ran his thumb along my knuckles to get me back to my normal coloring which admittedly worked.

"So Ponyboy", my dad broke in.

"Yes Mr. Smith?"

"When will we get to meet your family formally?'

"Formally?"

"Well, the past few times we've met them were under several inopportune circumstances and I don't know if we've met all of them yet."

"I only have two biological brothers, but the rest of the gang are my brothers too."

Dad smiled a little at him, "I'd like to meet them. How does dinner sound? All you you can come over one night after school ends."

"I'll ask Darry, but he'll probably say yes."

"Wonderful", my dad said.

The rest of dinner luckily went off without a hitch. No more speeches were made (thank God) and we all had a nice time.

It was about 8 o'clock when I lay my head on Ponyboy's shoulder, wrapping my arms around his middle. I could hear everyone having their own conversations around us.

"You tired, Princess?", he asked me.

I nodded, "Doing five dances takes a lot outta you, honey."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, puling me tighter to him, "You think your accent's gonna come out?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. We'll just have ta see."

He started talking about "The Catcher in the Rye" since I gave it to him.

"I think you'd like it, darlin'."

"I do too", I muttered, "What time is it?"

"Um…", I knew he was looking at the clock on the wall, "Eight-thirty. Why?"

"It's gonna be fun havin' to get home and take a shower since I'm so tired." At least, that's what I meant. When I spoke, I heard the 'r's in "shower" and "tired" be made into soft "a" sounds. My accent wasn't too heavy, luckily. I knew Pony heard, "It's gonna be fun havin' to get home and take a showah since I'm so tiahd."

I felt his chuckle reverberate from his chest where my head had slipped down to, "I called it."

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", I murmured, quoting "Gone with the Wind". I must have not said the 'r' in "dear" because he laughed again.

"What's so funny?", I heard Sodapop ask.

"Nothin'. Lily's accent's just comin' out."

"So is yours", I told him, "You're not saying your 'ing's."

"Where's the accent again?", Soda asked. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Boston", I replied and I cringed when I heard myself say 'Bawston'.

This sent Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Ashlynn (who must have been listening in on the conversation) into fits of laughter. They weren't being mean, just teasing me.

"You all suck", I groaned into Pony's chest.

They laughed once again. Soon enough, Ash and Soda were into their own conversation.

"Ven aquí, Princesa", he said, pulling me onto his lap. We repositioned ourselves so I was sitting on his lap with both of my legs hanging over the edge of his right one. I put my arms tightly around his middle again as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders again. I rested my head on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart on my cheek.

"¿Es esto mejor, mi amor?", he asked, tracing designs on my back with his fingers. I could feel it, even with 2 or 3 layers.

"Mucho mejor, cariño. Gracias."

"Por supuesto. Si eres feliz, soy feliz."

I knew that the only people that would be able to understand us other than us would be Ashlynn since she had Spanish class too and my mom who was pretty fluent in Italian due to her upbringing and Spanish was close to it since they were both Romance languages. We were being pretty quiet, though, so I didn't think anybody heard us.

I smiled as I felt him kiss my head.

"¿Estás cansado?", I questioned.

"Un poco", Pony answered, keeping an arm around my shoulders and moving the other around my waist.

"¿Busca en nosotros?"

"No. ¿Por qué?"

"Mi papá no podría ser feliz."

"¿Por qué?"

"Porqué estoy en tu regazo."

"Comprendido."

I could feeling him rest his chin on the crown of my head.

"¿Quieres pasarse mañana?"

"Sí, yo quiero. ¿Qué vamos a hacer?"

"La pandilla y yo estamos jugando al fútbol americano. Puede jugar también."

"No sé cómo, cariño."

"¿Cómo puede no saber?"

I shrugged, "No sé. No soy buena en los deportes, ¿recuerdas?"

"Mm-hm", Pony hummed in response.

I let out a large yawn, covering my mouth with my hand.

"I'll come anyways", I said in English, too tired to continue to speak another language for any longer, "Maybe you could teach me how to play."

"I would be happy to, darlin'", he told me as he readjusted me on his lap.

"You think the boys'll make fun of me for not knowing?"

"I'm almost certain they will. Especially Darry. He'll consider it blasphemy."

"Nice to know", I muttered.

He chuckled a little, tilting his neck to give me a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you", I told him, "So much."

"I love you too. And I always will."

My dad noticed soon after that I was sitting on Pony's lap.

"Lily, why are you sitting on Ponyboy and not a chair?"

"Because I'm tired and he's more comfortable than a chair", I answered back with a yawn.

"We're packing up", he told me, "So you better figure something out."

I groaned a little and dug my head into Pony's shoulder.

"I don't wanna get up, though", I whined.

"Alright then", Pony said, "Up you go."

He moved his arm from my shoulders to the middle of my back and moved the arm around my waist to hook under my knees. He stood up, carrying me bridal style as he did. I tightly wrapped my arms around his neck with as much strength as my tired arms could muster so he be carrying me as dead weight.

"You good?", Pony asked.

I nodded, "Mm-hm. Thanks, honey."

"No problem."

The nine of us made a procession out go the Dairy Queen, my dad smirking a little as he held open the door for Pony and I. When everyone got to my family's car, Pony let me down on my feet. I said my goodnights to Ashlynn, Ms. Young, and Soda before turning to my boyfriend.

"Goodnight, darlin'", he said, giving me a quick peck on the lips and a hug, "I love you."

"I love you too, honey. So much", I told him into his chest as I breathed in his smell of cigarettes and cologne, "Goodnight."

I stepped into the car, placing my dance thing that I had put on my seat while we were in Dairy Queen in my lap. I picked up the small bouquet in my arms.

As we drove away, I waved to Pony and he waved back with a small smile.

 **Hello again! I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever. I kept rewriting things and changing stuff. This is a long chapter, so I hope that makes up for it a little. I love y'all and stay gold!- Athena Ravenclaw13**

 _Spanish translations:_

" _Ven aquí, Princesa"- "Come here, Princess"_

" _¿Es esto major, mi amor?"- "Is this better, my love?"_

" _Mucho mejor, cariño. Gracias"- "Much better, honey. Thank you"_

" _Por supuesto. Si eres feliz, soy feliz"- "Of course. If you're happy, I'm happy"_

" _¿Estás cansado?"- "Are you tired?"_

" _Uno poco"- "A little"_

" _¿Busca en nosotros?"- "Are they watching?"_

" _No. ¿Por qué?"- "No. Why?"_

" _Mi papá no podría ser feliz"- "My dad might not be happy"_

" _¿Por qué?"- "Why?"_

" _Porqué soy en tu regazo"- "Because I'm on your lap"_

" _Comprendido"- "Got it"_

" _¿Quieres pasarse mañana?"- "Do you want to come to my house tomorrow?"_

" _Sí, yo quiero. ¿Qué vamos a hacer?"- "Yes, I want to. What are we going to do?"_

" _La pandilla y yo jugando fútbol americano. Puede jugar también"- "The gang and I are playing football (American football). You can play too"_

" _No sé cómo, cariño"- "I don't know how, honey"_

" _¿Cómo puede no saber?"- "How do you not know how?"_

" _No sé. No soy buena en los deportes, ¿recuerda?"- "I don't know. I'm not good at sports, remember?"_


	29. Chapter 29

The next day was just about as hot as the day before had been. I once again put on shorts and a t-shirt since they were the most comfortable and put my hair into a dance bun.

"I'm going down to the Curtis'!", I called as I walked out the door. It was about one in the afternoon.

There were the typical sound of chaos coming from the house when I got there, though since Johnny and Dally died, the noise has been less.

"Knock, knock", I said as I opened the door.

Soda, Steve, and Darry said their different greetings.

"Hi, doll", Soda and Steve both said as they played cards.

"Hello, Lily", Darry said more formally from his recliner, "How're you today?"

"Good. And you?"

"Good, thanks for asking", he said before turning to the boys, "See! Someone has manners in this house! And it ain't any of y'all."

I laughed at Darry's frustration with the gang's social etiquette.

Two-Bit was sitting on the couch, immersed in his cartoons.

"Hey, Ponygirl", he greeted me, not even taking his eyes off the T.V.

I snorted, "Ponygirl?"

He nodded, "Mm-Hm."

I just decided to go along with it and not ask questions (which I had learned to do with a lot of the gang's antics).

Pony must have been in the bathroom, because he came out and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, "Hi, darlin'."

I smiled, "Hello, honey."

I turned around in his arms so I could look at him. He didn't have any grease in his hair.

I ran my fingers through his hair, "Why didn't you grease your hair? Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"Since we're gonna be outside playin' football the whole day, there's really no use in it", he explained.

"I have to learn how first", I smirked.

Steve, Soda, Two-Bit, and Darry all looked up at me.

"You don't know how to play football?!" Darry exclaimed.

I shook my head.

"How don't you know how to play football?" Two-Bit asked, shocked.

I laughed a little at his expression, "I dunno, really. I just don't like sports. The only sport I do is dance."

"Well, you're gonna find out how to play right now", Pony told me before throwing me over his shoulder and running out of the house, into the front yard. I heard the boys laughing as they followed us.

"Ponyboy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why exactly are you carrying me?"

"Because I felt like it", he responded.

I sighed and put my chin on my fist, resting my elbow on his back.

"If you drop me, I'm going to wrestle you to the ground. And I _will_ win."

"I'll take that risk", he said.

"Hey, Pony!" Two-Bit yelled from behind us where he and the others were walking, "You likin' the view?"

I knew that Pony was blushing and so was I.

"Shut up, Keith!" Pony called.

Eventually we got to the lot where the game would be happening. Pony put me down, careful not to drop me, before explaining the game to me.

I figured it out fairly quickly and the teams were set up. Darry, Pony, and I were on the first team while Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were on the other.

Our team won most of the games because of Darry. We went back to the house at about dinner time, the boys especially sweaty and gross.

"Honey, you are not getting any hugs whatsoever 'til you take a shower or something", I told him.

The gang laughed.

Pony sighed, "Fine."

He grabbed some clean clothes and went into the bathroom, coming out after his shower and talking to me until dinner was ready. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

School carried on, the heat and anxiousness to get out making the few weeks left seem longer than they were.

One day, about a week before the last day of school, Pony and I were on the school lawn, eating our lunches. That's when Two-Bit came barreling out of the building and running towards us with Steve following not far behind.

"Pony! Lily! Pony! Lily! Lovebirds!", he yelled at us, earning is some nasty looks from the Soc students.

"Yes, Keith?", I asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Guess what!"

"What?", Pony asked, exasperated.

"No", Two-Bit whined, "You have to guess!"

Pony sighed, "You get to do a project on the history of Mickey Mouse?"

"I wish!", Two-Bit exclaimed, "No! I'm passing junior year!"

I almost spit out my water in shock, "You are?"

"Yeah! I guess junior year has had all it can take of Two-Bit Matthews."

Pony and I looked at each other and then back at Two-Bit. Steve was standing behind him with a smirk that said 'I know. I can't believe it either',

"That's wonderful, Two-Bit!", I exclaimed.

"Yeah", Pony told him, "That's great!"

"Well, I gotta run. I gotta celebratory beer that's callin' my name and I can't drink it on school property."

With that, Two-Bit ran away from us to God knows where. Steve took out a carton of cigarettes, passing one to Pony before leaving, waving slightly as a goodbye.

Ponyboy tucked it behind his ear as he finished up his food. When he finished, he held the cigarette between his teeth, took his lighter from his pocket and flicked it open, lighting his cigarette before flicking the lighter closed again.

"I'll never understand how you smoke those all the time", I told him.

He shrugged, "And I'll never understand how you don't."

"I think you should cut down a little", I said.

Pony sighed, "I'm trying, but it's hard to break this kind of thing. Darry's telling me to cut down all the time too."

"I'm just worried about you. I don't want you hurting your lungs and respiratory system."

He smiled a little and crushed the cigarette into the ground with his shoe, "I'll try harder to cut down. How's that?"

"Good", I responded. I lay down, resting my head on his legs, right above his knees, as he leaned back on his hands.

"Did you ask about getting a job at the bookstore?", he asked. Pony started twirling one of the short sections of my hair that was usually tucked behind my ears around his finger.

I tucked my dress tightly under my behind and legs so it would blow in the wind.

"Yeah, I asked a few days ago. They interviewed me real quick and I got the job."

"That's great!", he smiled, "Congratulations, darlin'!"

"Thank you, honey. Did you ask about a job at the DX?"

"Mm-hm. I asked a few days ago. Soda helped."

"Do you know if you got it yet?"

Pony nodded, smirking a little.

"That's great! We are now officially employed!"

I reached up my hand a little and he gave me a high-five, him laughing.

"When do you start?", he questioned me.

"The day after we get out of school, so this Saturday. What about you?"

"Same day as you."

He took my hand and started running his thumb across my knuckles. We usually only did that when one of us was nervous. He also scrunched up his brow.

"Are you alright, love?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

I shrugged, "Just wondering."

We sat together on the school lawn in a comfortable silence. I couldn't help but wonder if Pony was worried about something. If he was, I wanted to help.

The end of the school year came the next week. We had shoved our lockers into our backpacks, said goodbye to our teachers, and went out into the bright June sunlight where the now free students ran Tulsa and its streets rampant.

I started my job at the bookstore the next day and I liked it. It was never terribly busy and there was almost never any loud, annoying people there.

Pony had started his job at the DX and I visited him almost everyday during my half and hour lunch break.

Something was wrong with Ponyboy. I knew it. He had barely kissed me or hugged me and whenever he held my hand, he was always running his fingers across my knuckles. It was usually a calming gesture, but lately it had been a concerning one. He barely talked to me at all. Didn't even really say "I love you" anymore.

I was scared.

 _Does he not like me anymore?_ , I thought to myself, _Did I do something wrong? Did something bad happen to him lately that I didn't know about?_

I casually asked him in conversation if he was alright and his answer was always yes, but I knew he was lying. There might be a lot of people who couldn't tell when he was lying through his teeth, but I could. I had always been able to.

After a good month of this, I got fed up.

I walked into the DX as I did almost every day, wearing shorts, a t-shirt, my hair in a long braid down my back and sandals.

Pony was standing at the register. He looked up when I walked in, but when he saw it was me, he looked back down, suddenly intrigued by the cash register.

"Okay", I demanded, "What the hell is up with you?"

He looked up and scrunched his eyebrows together, "What are you talking about, Lily?"

"You know full well what I'm talking about, Ponyboy Curtis, so don't you deny it."

"Do I now? Please do tell."

I walked up to him and slammed my hands on the counter and looking up at him, startling him.

"You have been practically ignoring me for the past month!", I yelled, "I ask you what's wrong and what's always your answer? 'I'm fine' or 'nothing'! If I did something, tell me! If something's wrong, _tell me_! That's what I'm here for!"

He looked at me, "Nothing's wrong."

I groaned and threw my hands in the air in exasperation, them slapping at my legs, "Jesus, Pony! You just don't seem to understand, do you? I know you and I know something isn't right!"

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought!", he exclaimed.

"Did I do something? Did anyone do something? Are you just in a bad place right now?", I questioned, "Pony, you need to tell me!"

"I'm fine!", he yelled.

"Are you cheating on me?", I asked, deathly calm.

He scrunched together his eyebrows again, "What the hell are you talking about? Why do you think I'm cheating on you?"

"Oh, well", I started sarcastically before yelling, "Maybe it's because you ignore me! Maybe it's because you don't hug me or kiss me! Maybe it's because you don't talk to me! Maybe it's because you haven't told me that you loved me in a freaking month!"

His face was getting red. Soda and Steve came into the doorway between the garage and the shop, but didn't intervene.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you better fix it and damn quickly!"

"Nothing is wrong!", he exclaimed, "I'm fine!"

"It's that Soc, isn't it?", I asked, tears of anger coming to my eyes, "That Soc. Cherry. I knew it."

"I'm not cheating on you, Lily! Stop accusing me of tryings I didn't do!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't push me to the side like you've been doing!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"That's bull, Pony and we both know it!", I screamed, tears flowing down my eyes. My throat was hoarse from yelling.

"No it's not! Why the hell can't you just figure out that nothing's wrong?!"

"Goodbye, Ponyboy", I said angrily, walking out of the door, "If you figure out what the hell's wrong with you, you can run to Cherry and not me."

"Maybe I will!", I heard him yell at me as I left the store.

The second I left the DX, I burst into tears. I didn't do anything wrong.

I'm going to ignore him, I thought, And when he wants to talk, he'll have to come back to me.

Ponyboy's POV

What just happened?

Sodapop and Steve walked quietly into the room.

"What the hell was that all about?", Steve asked.

I breathed deeply and ran a hand down my face, "I don't know."

"Pony, is what she said true? Have you really been practically ignoring her for a month?"

"No, I see her almost everyday."

"Ponyoby", Soda sighed, "Seeing someone and interacting with them are two completely different things. When was the last time you kissed her?"

I thought back, trying to pinpoint the date, "Two weeks ago…"

"And the last time you hugged her?"

"Probably back on the fourth of July…"

"Glory, Ponyboy", Steve muttered.

"Held her hand?"

"Like a week ago…"

"Ponyboy?", Sodapop spoke slowly, "When was the last time you told her you loved her?"

I had to think hard about that one, "I dunno."

Steve slapped me upside the head.

"Ow!", I exclaimed.

"Little Colt", Soda said, "You shouldn't have to think as hard as you did for that answer and the answer you gave shouldn't have been the one you gave."

"You really just screwed up", Steve told me.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Pony, you know I love you, but I have to side with Steve. You messed up big time. Did you see her? I've never seen her that pissed before. Ever."

"Did you actually cheat on her?", Steve asked.

"No! I did not cheat on her!"

"Why have you been so distant with her then?"

"I dunno. I've had a lot on my mind…"

"Like what?", Soda questioned.

"Angela Shepard has made it her mission to screw with my mind."

"Didn't you just say you didn't cheat on Lily?"

"I didn't! Angela is trying to break us up! She's always flirting with me and crap. She's been getting me so annoyed and frustrated that I've only been thinking about that for a good month."

"Those goddamn Shepards", Steve murmured, "Always messing everything up."

"Pony, put yourself in Lily's shoes. How you you feel if she practically ignored you for a full month? What would you think she was doing? Why would you think she was doing it?"

I thought for a bit and realized how bad what I'd done was.

"God, I'm such a freaking asshole", I muttered, leaning over the counter and holding my head in my hands.

"You got that right", Steve said.

He was so right that I didn't even glare at him.

"I need to go apologize", I told them, walking to the door.

"No", Soda commanded, "Not now. Like I said, she was really fired up. Let her cool down before talking to her."

I sighed heavily and grabbed my carton of cigarettes, lighting one up. I've been smoking them a lot more often lately because of Angela. I wanted to cut back. I really did. But the stress was getting to me.

Back to Lily's POV

When I got back to the bookstore, I endured the single longest feeling shift that it could ever feel possible to feel.

I trudged back home and flopped down on my bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Don't get me wrong, I loved working at the bookstore, but I didn't really want to do anything.

I felt heartbroken. Pony hadn't even come to apologize yet. Every time I touched the necklace he gave me, I started tearing up.

I hoped we wouldn't break up. I couldn't handle it if we did and I don't think Pony would be able to either after all the losses he's had.

I still didn't know why he had been ignoring me, but I seriously hoped he hadn't been cheating on me like I had thought he had.

One day, about a week after Pony and I's fight, I was walking home from work. My boss had had me stay a little than usual to shelf some books which I didn't mind. She even said she would pay me a bit more for it.

I had desperately wanted to make up with Pony, but he needed to come to his senses and talk to me first.

I was wearing a white t-shirt with a camisole underneath, jean shorts, and Converse. My hair was in a braid down my back with a headband pulling back the shorter strands. I had forgotten to put on the necklace that morning by accident, so my neck and throat had felt kind of empty all day.

It was about 8:00. The sun had been down for a while and the sky was dark. I was breathing in soft, humid summer air and enjoying how the subtle breeze felt on my exposed arms and legs. I looked up frequently as I walked, watching the almost full moon and silently pointing out the constellations that I knew to myself. I was only a few blocks from my house.

My eyes were trained on the Dig Dipper when I heard footsteps.

They continued getting closer.

I continued to look up at the sky.

"Hey", I heard behind me. I had thought that the girls behind me were in their late teens to early twenties and they were on a night out, but the voice I heard couldn't have been from someone older than me.

I stopped and turned around.

Now in front of me were five girls.

The one who seemed to be the leader looked familiar to me. She had long, black hair and a lean figure. Her eyes were a scarily icy blue.

I studied her face until I figured out who she was: Angela Shepard. She looked like a girl version of her brothers.

"Hi", I said to her, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah", she smirked, "Do you happen to know Ponyboy Curtis's girlfriend?"

I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion, "Yeah. I am his girlfriend. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering", she turned to her friends, "Ladies?"

I stepped back slightly, "Why does it matter that I'm Ponyboy's girlfriend?"

"Because I want him. And I always get what I want."

I suddenly remembered a line from Pony's theme; "Dallas Winston always got what he wanted. And he wanted to be dead."

The Shepards were just as much hoods as Dally had been and if Dally had gotten everything he wanted, Angela was going to be that way too.

I swallowed, "I don't want any trouble, Angela."

"Sorry, doll, but I do."

She threw me to the ground and I groaned upon impact.

Angela kneeled down next to me, "Let's see how much he wants you once we're done ruining you."

My eyes widened and she took a switchblade out, flinching when she flicked it open.

"Oh, is the poor little girly scared of the blade?", she taunted.

Her friends had formed a circle around us.

I tried desperately to get up, but she sat on my stomach. I had a flashback of when I was jumped when Pony and Johnny were gone.

I almost inaudibly whimpered.

"Get off of me, Angela", I told her, my voice a little shaky, "I never did anything to you."

"That's the thing, you didn't. But I'm gonna do somethin' to you."

Angela pushed me roughly back to the ground. I tightened the muscles in my neck so my head wouldn't be smashed on the concrete of the sidewalk.

She put her hand on my chest, the heal of her hand digging into the part of my diaphragm where my ribs met. That spot was coincidentally were the Socs had cut me all the time ago.

Angela's friends were smirking condescendingly above me, waiting for their leader's next command.

She soon fulfilled their want, "Hold her down", she ordered. The girls held down my arms and legs, one person on each limb.

Angela wasn't heavy, but with all of her weight trained on my diaphragm and my stomach, it was getting hard to breathe.

"Please stop", I said meekly.

"Not a chance."

"Leave me alone!", I yelled, struggling beneath her. I was having more flash backs from months ago.

"Hell no. Now shut that ugly ass face of yours before I do it for you."

I still struggled, using all the strength that I could muster to try to get Angela and her friends off of me.

"Stop!", I screamed.

"Shut up!", she yelled and slugged me in the face.

She said something to her friends, but I couldn't make it out since I was trying to recover from the shock of the punch. My eyes were shut tight.

Then I felt pain. Excruciating pain. My eyes flew open and I looked over to my left arm where I knew the pain was coming from. the girl who was holding down my arm was cutting it with a blade. The underside of my arm was facing upwards and she was dragging the switchblade down it, from my elbow to where her hand was tightly gripping and keeping hold of my wrist. Blood was everywhere. My arm was covered in read

I screamed in pain, "Help!"

The girl just made another cut down the outside of my arm where the inner and outer parts met. I could only hope none of the cuts had hit a vein.

I could feel my shirt and camisole being cut off. I knew they weren't going to rape me so the only thing I could think of was that Angela was going to cut my torso.

"Stop!", I cried, "Stop! Help!"

"No one's ever gonna love you with all this. You'll be even uglier than before, if it's possible", Angela hissed.

I felt the coldness of the blade stop on my arm and go to my torso. The blade started at my left underarm and was dragged, cutting the part of my bra at my side. The blade continued, cutting just beneath my left breast and going diagonally across my stomach until it reached my right hip. I knew there was tons of blood without looking. I could feel it.

I cried and screamed the entire time, hoping someone would notice me.

"Help! Please! Darry! Soda! Steve! Two! Pony! Anyone!"

Once again, I was punched in the face, not breaking my nose, but making it bleed.

Then I felt a searing pain in my stomach. I let out a strangled gasp of surprise.

Looking up, I saw Angela giving me a satisfied smirk. She had just punched me in the stomach. Her fist was covered in red, but she continued.

I screamed out once again for help. While I screamed both words and incoherent noises, Angela continued to punch my already bleeding stomach.

The blade was present once again, this time starting at the bottom of the right side of my neck and dragging down to just below my right collarbone.

Once again, blood everywhere.

Then I finally heard yelling.

I screamed again in pain and to get whoever was coming's attention.

"Lily!", I heard. Ponyboy.

I heard feet pounding the pavement.

"Angela!", I heard someone scream; I think it was Two-Bit, "What are you doing?! You're gonna kill her!"

She and her friends just ran off.

Ponyboy dropped to his knees next to me, "Oh my God. Lily. Are you okay?"

I shook my head. Tears were streaming down my face and I felt sticky and wet from the blood.

"I'm so sorry", he said, "If we hadn't had the fight, this wouldn't have happened. This is all my fault."

"I forgive you", I said weakly.

"We need to get her to our house. Now", Pony ordered, "Two-Bit, you have to come with me. I'll carry her."

"What about us?", I heard Soda ask, "How can we help?"

"Get home quick. Me and Two-Bit will be there with Darry since I'm the fastest runner and Two-Bit is faster than y'all."

Ponyboy took off his sweatshirt and tied it around my middle, using it as a makeshift tourniquet before picking me up bridal style quickly, but carefully and instantly starting to sprint. I heard Two-Bit's feet pounding behind us.

Ponyboy's POV

The gang had taken me to the movie house to try and get my mind off of the fight with Lily. I had been wanting desperately to apologize, but hadn't yet.

We left the theater and were on our way to our house when we heard screams. We all looked at each other and started running towards the noise.

I recognized the screaming from New Years. It was Lily.

I started to freak out, "Guys it's Lily! C'mon, we gotta get her!"

We all bolted towards her. She was pinned to the ground and someone was kicking her ribs while someone else was punching her stomach. She was covered in blood.

"Lily!", I yelled.

We finally got to her and we got the girls away from her. It was Angela and her friends.

"Angela!", Two-Bit screamed at her, "What are you doing?! You're gonna kill her!"

The girls just ran away and I instantly fell to my knees beside Lily.

"I'm so sorry", I told her, "If we hadn't had the fight, this wouldn't have happened. This is all my fault."

"I forgive you", she whispered.

She was losing blood.

"We need to get her to our house. Now. Two-Bit, you have to come with me. I'll carry her."

"What about us?", Soda asked, "How can we help?"

"Get home quick. Me and two-Bit will be there with Darry since I'm the fastest runner and Two-Bit is faster than y'all."

I yanked off my sweatshirt and rapidly tied it around Lily's waist to slow down the bleeding before picking her up and running.

Back to Lily's POV

"We're almost there, darlin", Pony said to me as he ran.

I whimpered in response and even that took a lot out of me.

"Two-Bit", Pony started, "Get into the house and tell Darry to get the medical kit stat. Tell him it's an emergency."

Two-Bit ran in front of us and I could hear him busting through the Curtis' door and screaming at Darry to get the medical kit.

Pony and I burst through the door only seconds later. Darry was running out of the bathroom with the medical kit and Two-Bit was grabbing towels.

"Oh my God", Darry said when he saw me, "She's almost worse than Johnny was. Who did this?"

"Angela Shepard and her friends", Pony said quickly, "Two-Bit, put some pillows on the floor in the living room and cover them and the floor around them with as many towels as you can find."

I groaned in Pony's arms and continued to cry.

"Darry give me the medical kit and all the needles and thread you can find. She's gonna need a lot of stitches."

Ponyboy ran me into the living room where Two-Bit was throwing towels on the pillows he had set on the floor and around them.

I was set down on them in seconds.

"Pony", I whimpered, "It hurts."

"I know it does, baby. I know it does", Pony cooed, shuffling around the medical supplies. The rest of the boys burst through the door.

"You guys need to go away while I do stitch her stomach", Pony told them.

"Soda", I wheezed, "Hold. Hand. Stitches."

Pony looked confused.

"She wants me to hod her hand while you stitch her up", Soda explained, "This is what we did last time."

Pony curtly nodded as he threaded the needle and untied his sweatshirt from my torso.

"Jesus Christ", I heard him mutter, "What did they do to you, darlin'?"

"Blade", I whispered.

"I gotta take off your bra", Pony told me, "I'll put a towel over your chest, though."

I nodded a little and Sodapop gripped my hand and averted his eyes as Pony quickly took off the bra and replaced it with a towel. I didn't know if he saw anything, but if he did, he remained professional about it and maintained his calm composure.

The needle went in and I squeezed Soda's hand with the little strength I had.

I cried, there being no words that I could say.

"I know", Pony cooed, "I know. I'm sorry. I'm gonna get it done as quick as I can."

Soda held my hand and brushed the hair back from my face. He went away for a second, only to come back with a cold, damp cloth for my head.

"Thank you", I said softly.

"Your welcome", he told me, holding my hand again.

Pony started to sing "Love Me Tender" to cam me down. After over an hour, the stitches across my stomach were finished.

"Y'all can come in now", Soda called called to the gang.

Pony continued to sing, repeating the song over and over again to keep me calm.

Darry, Steve, and Two-Bit quietly walked into the living room and solemnly sat around the room, Darry in his armchair and Steve and Two-Bit on the couch.

Tears still dripped from my eyes because of the pain.

"I'm gonna get her ice cubes and an ice pack", Darry said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Ice cubes?", Soda asked.

"She needs fluids and if we try to give her a cup of water, it'll spill everywhere."

He came back a few minutes later with a small cup of ice cubes.

Pony moved to the other side of me to stitch my arm, still singing.

The boys didn't say anything about the singing.

Sodapop put an ice cube to my mouth and I put it in my cheek, hoping the pain from its cold would distract me from the needle and threat stitching my skin together. Then he put the ice pack on my bruised and stitched stomach to make it numb.

We all sat in silence, but for Pony's soft, calming singing, my occasional nose sniffling, breathing and the tapping of Two-Bit's shoe on the floor.

I tried to keep my breathing steady. I felt an anxiety attack coming on.

Ponyboy finished with my arm after a while and wrapped it before going to my collarbone which didn't take much time since it was only about an inch long.

My attempts to keeping my breathing seat were failing and I could feel the breaths coming quicker and quicker.

"Lily", Pony said from next to me, disrupting his singing, "Look at me. Keep your eyes on me. Calm down. You're okay."

I continued to hyperventilate.

Pony pulled me into his lap, making sure to keep the towel on my chest. He pulled my head into his chest.

"It's okay. You're okay", he cooed.

The gang left the room to give us some time alone.

"I'm so sorry", Pony whispered and I felt a tear hit my bare shoulder.

I turned my head up at him, my breathing pacing itself out, "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is."

"How is it your fault?"

"The reason I was ignoring you was because Angela was trying to break us up and it's not like I like her, but I didn't know how to deal with the stress so I took it out on you. I should've known she would try something. I don't blame you if you never forgive me."

I looked into his watery green eyes, "I forgive you. I don't blame you for any of this. Let's just talk things out instead of fighting from now on, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too, honey. So much."

He leaned down and gave me a kiss. God, how I missed those.

"I called your parents, Lily", Darry called from the other room, "I told 'em you got hurt and are saying with us tonight."

"What did they say?"

"They asked how hurt. I said stitches bad. They said that it was best that you weren't moved tonight in your condition. I also told them that it would be a good idea to bring you a new pair of clothes when they come to pick you up tomorrow"

"Okay. Thank you."

Darry went back into the kitchen.

"How many?", I asked Pony.

"How many what?"

"Stitches."

He thought for a second, adding them all up, "…Seventy-two on your arm…eight on your neck…one hundred and thirty-two on your torso…two hundred and twelve in total."

"Good lord", I muttered.

"I know", he sighed.

"Honey, I feel weak", I told him.

"Let me get you a shirt and I'll get you on the couch."

He went into his room and came back out with a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off.

Pony turned around as I slipped it on and looked back at me when I said I was done before coming over to my right side since it was the side with the least injuries. He carefully picked me up bridal style and set me down on the couch, my back against the armrest.

The he went into the kitchen. I heard him and the gang talking and a few minutes later he came back, followed by the gang. He had a bowl of soup in one hand and a cup of juice in the other.

"Thank you", I told Pony when he came in. I didn't have the strength for big sentences.

I was carefully propped up on pillows and one was put on my lap for the soup to it on while I ate it. It wasn't the most careful approach since the soup could very well fall, but it was the only thing we could do for the time being.

I started carefully eating the soup, my right hand shaking a little.

The boys just stared at me. I knew why, of course, so I decided not to question it.

After I finished the soup, the bowl was taken off of my lap and put on the table. Then I was handed a plate with a slice of cake.

I gave a questioning look to Sodapop who had put it in front of me.

"Cake makes everything better", he said simply.

I smiled a little and took a bite.

"Beside", Pony added, "You need the sugar in your system."

I nodded in understanding and started eating the cake, stopping in intervals to drink the juice which Pony refilled twice.

"Where is everyone sleeping tonight?", Darry asked.

"I'm going back to my house", Two-Bit responded.

"I might go back home", Steve told us.

"If Steve goes home, I'll take the couch and Soda can sleep with Darry", Pony said.

"You don't have to", I told him.

"No", Soda said, "You just just badly beat up. You need to sleep in a bed."

"I would sleep in my bed with you, but I don't want to accidentally hurt your injuries", Pony told me.

I shook my head, "No. Stay with me. Please."

"If you're sure than of course I will", he said as he kneeled down and gave my bruised cheek a kiss before taking my hand and rubbing his thumb along the back of it.

I cracked a small smile at him which he returned.

Putting the plate on the table, I carefully rearranged myself so my head was lying on Pony's lap.

"You tired darlin'?", he asked as the gang continued to talk amongst themselves.

I nodded slowly, enjoying the warmth of his body heat. He ran his fingers through my knotted hair and I traced designs on his leg.

"You wanna go to bed now, darlin'?", Pony asked.

"Mm-hm", I answered.

Pony moved out from under me and I whined a little at the sudden loss of contact and warmth. Then he gently picked me up and said goodnight to the gang as he carried me to his and Soda's room, placing me on the bed.

I shook my head a little.

"Something wrong?", he questioned.

"I don't wanna sleep in my shorts and shoes", I told him.

"Are you telling me this so I'll turn around?"

"I don't care. I'm just letting you know."

I quickly took of my shoes and cautiously took off my shorts with my right hand and got into the bed, curling into the fetal position on my right side.

Pony just smiled a bit at my tiredness and quickly pulled off his shirt and changed from his jeans into a pair of sweatpants before getting into bed next to me.

He came behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, his chest pressed to my back. His face was buried in my hair, his warm breath tickling the back of my ear and the nape of my neck.

I placed my injured arm on top of his and lay my left hand over the back of his which was resting lightly on my stomach. I intertwined our fingers and rubbed the back of his thumb with the pad of mine.

"And to think", I whispered with a slight yawn, "My family hasn't even met the gang yet."

Pony chuckled into my neck, "Well, they'll certainly be meeting them tomorrow."

"Yeah, I suppose", I agreed.

"You fallin' asleep?"

I nodded, my eyelids feeling heavy.

"Go ahead and sleep. You've had a long day and you deserve some rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."

I smiled, "Promise?"

I could feel Pony smile as well against my neck, "I promise."

"I love you", I told him with a tired sigh, "So much."

"I love you too", he responded, leaning over a little to kiss my cheek, "And I always will."

 **Hello, my people! I'm SO sorry it's taken this long for me to update again. While I was writing this chapter, I changed a ton of things and schoolwork has been torturous. I hope to be updating again soon and I'll hopefully be updating more during Spring Break. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	30. Chapter 30

I woke up the next morning to the warming summer sun streaming through the window of Pony and Soda's room.

I was still wrapped securely in my boyfriend's arms, his hold tight, yet gentle around my waist and felt his soft, even, warm breaths on my neck and knew he was still asleep which was a surprise since I usually woke up later than him.

I carefully turned around in his grasp so as to not wake him up. It was only when I accidentally lay on my left arm did I remember that I was hurt. I lay my hand on my torso, fingering the wrap that covered all one hundred and thirty-two of the stitches that made their way from my hip to my underarm. I gently touched the part at my under arm since it was the only part that wasn't wrapped.

Readjusting my arm, I lay back down next to Pony and stared at his sleeping form.

His brownish-auburn hair was free of grease and was long enough that strands fell to a little lower than the nape of his neck, curling adorably like a small child's hair does before they get their first haircut. The cowlick near the crown of his head made a few pieces of hair stray upwards and the hair that came forward from the cowlick became his bangs which fell lightly onto his forehead in small wisps.

Pony's green eyes were hidden by his closed eyelids and his long, dark eyelashes brushed his upper cheekbone. As he breathed, his chest rose and fell in a monotonous manner that was almost hypnotic. In synchronization with his chest's movements, his slightly parted mouth let out breaths. In and out. In and out. His cheeks held a slight rosy tint from the heat of the Summer day and the blanket covering the two of us.

I smiled gently at his peaceful form pushed some hair off of his forehead with my right hand. I tucked the strands back into the thick mass from which they came and leaned forward slightly, kissing his nose before snuggling into his warm chest.

There was some shifting and soon after, some small whines of waking up coming from Pony.

I kissed his collarbone before pulling away from him slightly to see his face.

Pony's eyes were drowsy from sleep and his eyelashes fluttered, the sun making them look a lighter shade.

He blinked a few times until he got my face into focus, making me smile out of amusement.

"Good morning, honey", I greeted softly. There were no other sound in the house that could disrupt us and I planned on keeping it that way.

His lips turned up into a small grin, "Good morning, darlin'. How'd you sleep?"  
"Well. And you?"

"Very well. And you know why?"

"Do tell."

"Because I had you in my arms all night."

I blushed a bit and let out a breathy laugh.

"How're you feeling?", he questioned, his eyes showing concern.

"I'm fine. A little sore, but I'm fine."

"Can I check just to make sure?"

I nodded and maneuvered myself into a sitting position, sitting on my legs.

Pony sat up as well, flat on his behind with the blanket still covering his lap and legs.

I fingered the hem of Pony's shirt that I was wearing and lifted it up a little at first before lifting it all the way to the underside of my bust.

Ponyboy slowly unwrapped the gauze wrapping, revealing a little more of my torso every time.

After a few minutes, he lay the gauze on his blanket-covered lap and shrunk down a bit to see the stitches better. He cautiously ran his finger along the small seams that he had sewn the night before.

"The stitches look alright, though we'll have to put some more ice on your stomach. It's bruising something fierce."

I nodded in agreement. Even the small touch that he had lay on my bruise while running his finger along my stitches had been enough to make the tender bruise hurt.

Pony leaned down and gently kissed my stomach before pulling the shirt back down over it.

"Now your arm", he ordered. I held out my left arm to him and he went through the same process of carefully unwrapping the gauze and looking the the stitches.

"Your arm looks good too. We'll let them breathe for a bit before wrapping them up again", Pony informed me before scooting me onto his lap, pulling me over gently by my hips. My legs were curled up next to me.

I put my head on his upper chest, hearing the reassuring thump-thump of his heartbeat.

He placed a kiss on top of my head and I sighed in contentment. His right hand wound around my waist and fell onto my left thigh while his left hand went slightly under my shirt and his thumb rubbed soft circles onto my barely-exposed hipbone.

Pony's finger lightly traced the thigh portion of the edge of my underwear. It wasn't inappropriate, just something for his hand to do without him really noticing.

"Shouldn't you be going to work?", I questioned him after a while.

"I'm not going today. I've barely missed a day since I started working at the DX, so the boss shouldn't mind."

"I hope I'm not causing too much trouble", I told him.

Pony hugged me back to his chest, "I don't think you could ever cause trouble here, darlin'. I love you too much to care and you're basically the gang's kid sister."

I laughed a little, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Depends on how you look at it."

I let out a breathy laugh and curled under the blanket with Pony, enjoying the warmth even though it was Summer outside. We both lay down on our sides and looked at each other.

"What time is it?", I questioned.

Pony turned his head to look at the clock on his bedside table, "About eight o'clock. Why?"

"I just want to prepare myself for the gang stampede that is inevitably going to happen."

He chuckled and tugged me over to him so he was on his back and my head was on his chest. Once again, the familiar thump-thump of his heartbeat made me happy, knowing he was there.

I inadvertently drew shapes and figures onto Pony's chest with my finger.

Just as I had expected, a few minutes later the gang started roaming (very loudly, I might add) through the house. Soda knocked on the door to the room and didn't even wait for us to tell him to come in before he did so.

"Hey, lovebirds! How're y'all doin' this fine morning?", he greeted with a cheeky grin.

"We're good", Pony told him, groggily. In the few minutes between when we had lay down and when the gang started doing their thing, Pony and I had started to fall back asleep.

Soda laughed at our tiredness, "You two might wanna get food soon before we all eat it because both of you know we will."

"Okay", I said, "We'll keep that in mind, Soda." I curled into Pony more as I spoke.

Soda just let out a chuckle and walked out, closing the door behind him.

"He's right, you know", Pony said after Soda left.

I sighed, "I know. I just don't wanna get out of bed. I'm comfortable."

"Well, I'm going to have breakfast. You can come with me or I'll bring some food in here for you to eat. It's your choice."

Pony started to shift from under me.

"Fine", I groaned, "I'm comin', I'm comin'."

Pony sat up on the bed and smirked in amusement as I tried to convince myself to get up. I finally sat up, being careful of my bruised and stitched abdomen.

When I stood up and carefully stretched, a blush crept its way onto my boyfriend's cheeks.

"Is something wrong?", I questioned.

"Darlin'", he started, "You don't have any pants on. You should probably do that before going out in front of the gang."

Now it was my turn to blush. I pulled Pony's already too-long-for-me shirt down so it covered my behind and went down to my mid-thigh.

"Could you pass me a pair of sweatpants or something, honey?"

Pony rifled through his drawers before finding them and handing them to me. I pulled them on and took his hand.

We walked out of his and Soda's room and into the kitchen where the rest of the gang was gathered. Two-Bit, Soda, and Darry were sitting at the table, all of them with food in front of them and Darry with a cup of coffee in one hand and his newspaper in the other. Sodapop and Two-Bit were conversing with Steve who was digging through the fridge for something. When they heard Pony and I walking, they stopped what they were doing and looked at us.

"Good morning, Pony. Lily. How'd you two sleep last night?", Darry asked.

"I slept well", I told him, "What's for breakfast?"

"Cake", Steve said through a mouth full of the stuff.

I tilted my head down a little and looked at him in a way that said 'Really? You know better than to do that.'

Steve continued chewing, but now with his mouth closed. The rest of the boys laughed at how I could chastise him with just a look.

Pony and I sat at the table where the remainder of the cake sat on a plate in the middle with some plates for eating the cake next to it. He cut me a slice and gave it to me on a plate with a fork.

"Thank you, honey", I told him, picking up the fork and twirling it between my fingers a little.

"No problem", Pony said as he got his own piece.

"So how're your stitches doin', Lily?", Darry questioned.

"Good. Pony checked them earlier. We're letting them breathe, but we'll wrap them again later." I held out my arm a little so Darry could take a glimpse.

"Man", Two-Bit muttered, "They really got you good."

I nodded solemnly, "Don't I know it."

"Why'd they jump you?", Soda asked, "Do you know?"

I exhaled slowly before nodding and answering, "They jumped me because I'm Ponyboy's girlfriend."

The boys got looked concerned.

"What do you mean?", Darry asked.

"Angela said that she wanted Pony and that, and I quote, she 'always gets what she wants'."

Since Pony already knew, he just looked at me with a pleading, apologetic expression on his face. I simply took his free hand in mine and squeezed it.

The gang got hardened looks on their faces, their jaws clenching and their eyebrows furrowing.

"I think we should have a rumble", Steve said, breaking the silence.

"Please don't", I begged, "It's not worth it. I don't want any of you getting hurt because of me and you would be seriously outnumbered. I'll let y'all know if Angela or anyone else in the Shepard gang bother me, but please, no rumbles."

Darry sighed, "You promise to tell us if they're botherin' you?"

"I promise."

"Okay. No rumbles", Darry agreed before looking at the clock and cussing, "C'mon, Soda! We gotta get ready or we'll be late. You too, Steve!"

He gulped down the rest of his coffee and ran to his room to get ready. Soda ran to his and Pony's room to do the same, followed by Steve.

"I'm gonna go take a shower", I told Pony, starting to stand up.

"You left your travel case with all your things in in the last time you stayed over. It's in my room if you want to grab it."

I gave him a quick smile and went to his and Soda's room to grab the travel case (I had been wondering where I had left that) before going into the bathroom. I got out the things I would need, turned on the water, and took of my clothes before stepping in.

The hot water felt nice on my acing muscles, but quickly made my new stitches sting. I clenched my teeth and worked through it, carefully and quickly washing my hair and body.

Soon, I was turning off the water and securely wrapping the towel around me, grabbing my clothes and scurrying back to Pony and Sodapop's room. I pulled on the clothes and wrapped my hair up in the towel before exiting and walking back to the kitchen.

Two-Bit started laughing at the towel on my head the second he saw me, making Ponyboy turn around as well. He gave a me an attempted cocked eyebrow.

"Darlin', why do you have a towel on your head?"

"To dry my hair a little", I responded, sitting down in the chair where I had been during breakfast.

Two-Bit continued to laugh.

I looked at him, "Is there something you find amusing, Keith?"  
"My mom and sister do the same thing", he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes at him, "You're ridiculous, Matthews."

"Why, thank you, Ms. Leaning-Towel-of-Piza." Two-Bit laughed at his own joke and went to the ice-box, fishing a beer out.

"Really, Two-Bit?", Pony asked, "Beer at nine in the morning?"

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, "Did you really expect anything else?"

"True", Pony relented.

That was when Darry, Soda, and Steve stormed into the kitchen. The latter two had taken over the bathroom just as I had gotten out. Presumably to grease their hair.

"What is on your head?", Soda asked me as he hopped on one foot, trying to get a shoe on.

"My hair is wrapped in a towel", I responded.

"Your hair is in there?"

I nodded, "Yup."

Soda just gave me a weird look and continued his shoe struggle. Steve and Darry were getting their's on as well, albeit, with less trouble than Sodapop.

"Well", Darry started, grabbing his keys, "We're headin' out. Y'all know the drill. Stay safe. And Lily", he paused and looked at me semi-sternly, pointing his finger at me, "You rest up. We don't want those stitches coming undone."

"Yes sir", I told him, saluting playfully.

And with that, Darry, Soda, and Steve ran out the door and to Darry's truck, which he was driving since Sodapop was barely ever trusted with the task.

I got up and went back into the bathroom, taking the towel off my head and parting and brushing out my hair. I searched my face in the mirror, looking at the dark bruise that had made its way onto my face from getting punched. Soon, the towel was thrown into the hamper and I walked out to the bathroom, my hair dark from the dampness and its usual stick straight texture.

"Is this better, Two-Bit?", I asked him with a smirk when I sat down once again.

He cracked a grin as he rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer.

Pony pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist. I lay my head on his chest and put my arms and hands on top of his. He leaned his head down a little and kissed my temple. I gently smiled at his gesture and curled myself into him.

"You tired, darlin'?", Pony asked.

"A little."

"While you were in the shower, I called into the DX to tell them I'm not coming in today and the bookstore to tell them you're not coming in."

"Thank you, honey."

"No problem. How've you been liking your job at the bookstore?"

"It's been good. Not too busy. It never really gets very loud. I can read any of the books there as long as I don't damage them."

"Have you read any good ones?"

I shrugged a bit, "I dunno. I haven't really read any that I love yet."

"Tell me when you do."

"Deal", I said and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Y'all are annoyingly cute", Two-Bit broke in.

"I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment", I told him.

"You do that."

Pony suddenly stop up with me in his arms.

"What on Earth are you doing?", I laughed.

"Pickin' you up."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Where are we going exactly?"

"To my room."

With that, he started walking towards our apparent destination.

Two-Bit wolf whistled, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Shut up, Keith!", Pony and I yelled at the same time.

Pony closed the door behind us and plopped me on the bed before grabbing a book and getting next to me.

"What're we reading, honey?", I questioned.

"Fahrenheit 451", he said.

I cuddled up into his side, my head laying on his chest , "Well, what are you waiting for? Start reading."

Pony chuckled and started the book, "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with a great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history…"

Pony and I stayed in his bed for over five hours, taking turns reading to each other. By the time we finished the book, though, it was still only 2 in the afternoon. We just continued to lay in the bed, just talking.

"You're almost fifteen", I said.

He laughed a little, "I was aware."

"You're too old."

"Darlin', I'm only a little more than a month older than you are."

"I can already see the grey hairs", I teased.

"Hardy-har-har", Pony said sarcastically, "Very funny."

"Ponyboy?", I asked suddenly to get his attention.

'"Hmm?"

"When were Johnny and Dally's birthdays?"

"March first and November ninth. Why?"

"I think on their birthdays we should go to their graves."

I didn't like to dwell on their funeral. It was a joint service and burial full of almost exclusively Greasers (Cherry and Randy had come to the service, but not to the cemetery). Pony was too sick to go, so I went with the gang who I hadn't seen in a few days. Darry stayed home to watch Pony in case he woke up. I cried the entire time, Two-Bit's and Soda's arms wrapped comfortingly around my shoulders. It was one of the only times that I could think of in the past year of knowing him that Two-Bit didn't make jokes or fool around. The boys had worn their best suits which, for Two-Bit and Steve, were small from years of them not wearing them. I wore a simple black dress with my black flats and my coat. Soda's free hand had been rubbing Steve's back in an effort to comfort him, though you could still see Steve's back heaving from his silent sobs. When we got to the cemetery, everything was silent, save for the wind whistling through the trees, the sounds of sniffling noses, and the preacher giving his sermon. We all placed roses on top of Jonny's and Dally's caskets, the flowers' bright colors almost mocking the solemness of the event. Dally's father and Johnny's parents lost their rights to the boys' bodies after social services found out about their abuse and neglect, but it was obviously too late to do anything about that. Both Dally's and Johnny's graves were engraved with the epitaphs of their birthdates and death-date, along with each one reading the inscription "Loving friend and brother". The gang had asked for the "brother" part to be added along with the request that the two were to be buried next to each other. Their graves weren't far from those of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis.

Pony cocked his head a little at my idea, "Well, we didn't do it during what would've been their most recent birthdays."

"I don't think any of us were ready then. I think we're all ready to face it now at least partially."

Ponyboy gave me a soft grin and kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger there. "I think that's a wonderful idea, darlin'. I'm sure they would love that", he spoke against my skin.

"Is 'they' Johnny and Dally or the gang?", I asked.

"Both."

We talked about the upcoming school year until Soda and Steve got home a few hours later. Soda knocked on the door after presumably asking Two-Bit (who I had forgotten was still in the house with us) where Pony and I were.

"Come in", Pony said to his older brother through the door.

Soda peeked his head in to see Pony and I snuggled up under the blankets. He cracked a grin, "Have y'all been in here all day?"'

We nodded.

Sodapop let out a chuckle, "Well, you should probably get up, doll. Your family'll be here pretty soon."

"Okay. Thanks for reminding me, Pepsi-Cola", I told him.

He gave us a wink before stepping out of the room.

"Do you think your family'll wanna stay for dinner?", Pony questioned.

"I dunno. Maybe. I think the twins will."

"C'mon", he groaned slightly, sitting up, "Let's get outta bed."

"But it's comfy", I whined, purposefully acting kind of childish.

Pony smiled down at me, "I know. But we can be just as comfy on the couch."

I jokingly sighed, "Fine. I'll get up."

When I sat up, I felt the soreness in my stomach flare up. I had been laying down for such a long time that I had forgotten all about my injuries.

Pony must have seen me wince because he face became concerned, "Are you okay, Princess. Is something wrong?"

I breathily laughed at his protectiveness, "I'm fine, honey. I just forgot about my stitches."

"I need to re-bandage those. C'mon. To the bathroom we go."

"What do you me-", I started. Pony swiftly pick me up like I was light as a feather and carried me out of the room, making his way to the bathroom. I giggled at his actions and wrapped my good right arm around his neck to keep me from falling, though, I knew he wouldn't have let me fall even if I hadn't.

"What're you doin', Lilttle Colt?", Soda asked from his spot on the couch.

"I'm gonna change Lily's bandages in the bathroom. We'll be out in a minute", Pony called to him as he brought me into the bathroom and closed the door behind us with his foot before sitting me on the toilet (luckily, the lid had been closed).

Pony rummaged through the cabinets, finally pulling out what he must have been looking for: wrap bandages and cream.

He knelt down on front of me and unraveled the bandages from the thick roll, setting the pieces of fabric on my lap. The tube of cream was opened and gently spread on my arm since it was already exposed. The cream felt cold on my skin and I scrunched my eyebrows together at the unfamiliar feeling, especially when it started stinging a bit.

My train of thought was broken by Pony's laugh. I looked up from my arm that he had started to wrap to see his face, seeing his green eyes light with amusement.

"What?", I asked confused.

He laughed again, "You just look so cute when you're confused."

I felt myself blush slightly and crack a small smile.

Pony leaned up to kiss my cheek before continuing his wrapping of my arm.

"Darlin', can you please lift up your shirt now? I have to do your stomach", Pony told me a few minutes later.

I nodded and started to pull up the shirt, my stomach with its new marks peeking its way out every millimeter I lifted the shirt.

I looked at Pony's face, waiting for a reaction for a bit. Not long after I lifted the shirt to right at my bust where the worst of the cut began, Pony let out a long exhale through his nose and leaned forward so the top of his head was resting against my chest. He wrapped his arms around my now bare waist and I shivered at the feeling of his colder hands on my usually covered and warm midriff and back.

My free hand went instinctively to his head, running my fingers through his hair before cupping his chin and tilting his head up to look at me.

"What's wrong?", I asked. He looked defeated and vulnerable.

Pony sighed again, softer this time. "I still can't believe this happened to you; the bruise on your face… the stitches…you didn't deserve any of this. You've had enough trouble in the past year. and I've caused all of it. I don't see why you don't just break up with me."

Tears started to fill up behind my eyes, "Oh, Ponyboy. None of this is your fault. None of any of us deserved any of what's happened. I don't blame you for this. Not at all. You're the best guy I could ever ask for and I love you to death. Honey, please don't beat yourself up over this. None of what's happened, from Johnny and Dally dying, to me getting jumped by the Socs, to me getting jumped by Angela, none of any of this was ever anyone's fault."

A tear had escaped his eye, which I gently wiped away with my thumb.

"I'm sorry", he whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, love. And I'm definitely not going to break up with you. I love you to much to do that. Don't you love me, honey?"

"Of course. With everything that I have."

"Then please forgive yourself. For me", I told him.

He nodded slowly before leaning up and burying his head into the crook of my neck. "Okay", Pony promised and softly gave me a kiss on my collarbone. I brought my arms around his neck and kept one hand in his hair while the other rested on his bare shoulder blade.

"I love you", I told him.

"I love you too. And I always will", he responded.

After a few minutes we pulled away from each other and Pony heaved a breath as he grabbed the cream which he spread on my again exposed stomach. Then he carefully wrapped the bandages around my torso, making sure to not touch my chest if it could be avoided. A little bit later, Pony finished with the wrapping and lay a kiss on my stomach over the bandages.

It wasn't a moment too soon because just as he pulled away, I heard the loud clunking of work boots that could only be Darry's walking through the door. Pony stood up, holding out his hand for me to take which I gladly accepted. The two of us walked hand-in-hand into the living room where the gang had gathered.

"I'm gonna go change real quick before your family gets here. Just stay here, darlin'", he told me when I had sat on the couch.

"There aren't really many other places I can go, Pony", I teased. He smiled and pecked my lips before turning around and going into his room to change.

I sat on my legs and stared at the television which played a cartoon (that was probably chosen by Two-Bit). I wasn't really even watching it, just using it as a place for my eyes to land while I daydreamed.

It took quite a few reputations of my name to get my attention after I just started thinking. Turning my head to see who wanted my attention, I saw Soda looking at me.

"Yes?", I asked, showing he had me listening.

"I asked how your stitches are doing", he repeated with a small chuckle.

"Oh, they're doin' fine", I answered, "Pony did a good job sewing me up."

That was when Pony walked out of his room and Darry simultaneously walked in through the front door. They almost bumped into each other when they crossed paths.

"Hey, Darry", Sodapop greeted, "How was work?"

He shrugged, then winced, "Think I mighta strained a muscle or somethin' again."

"Dar, you gotta stop lifting as many loads of roofing", Pony told him as he sat next to me, "You're gonna really hurt yourself bad one day."

Darry sighed, "I know, Pony. It's just part of keeping food on the table."

"Well, my job down at the DX has helped some, hasn't it?", Pony asked hopefully.

He let out a small laugh and ruffled Pony's hair, "Don't you worry, Little Colt. The money's helped plenty." Darry then looked at me. "And how're you holdin' up, doll?"

"I'm good. Pony just changed the bandages and said that the stitches are looking fine. Nothing's hurt too bad today, though I didn't do much to make them."

Darry nodded, relieved and informed us that he was going to take a shower. It was Pony's night to cook dinner, so he went into the kitchen and I followed.

"I knew you were gonna follow me", he laughed.

"And how'd you know that, honey?", I teased.

"Because you just can't get enough of me."

I laughed and jokingly punched his arm. "Oh, shut up, you big goof."

Pony laughed again and grabbed some things out of the ice-box, setting them down on the counter.

"What are we making, Chef Curtis?", I questioned.

"Chicken and rice with gravy", he answered as he put the chicken in a pan which went onto the oven.

That was when there was a knock at the door. I knew it would be my parents, so I answered it and was immediately wrapped in a huge hug by my mom.

She finally pulled away once I had told her that she was hurting me and proceeded to bombard me with questions. "Are you okay? What happened? How bad are you hurt? Where are you hurt? Do we need to involve a doctor or-"

I cut her off, "Mom, I'm okay. I'll tell you what happened a little later. For now, you should probably come into the house since you're all out on the porch and that won't get much done except bring mosquitoes into the house."

She nodded and walked into the house with Anna and Henry behind her. Dad was last in their little "line". He looked very concerned and hugged me like Mom had, albeit not as tightly.

"Are you sure you're okay, Lily?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now, can whoever had my clothes give them to me please?"

Dad pulled away and gave me my backpack that had clothes in it.

I went into Pony and Soda's room to change, taking off Pony's sweats that I was wearing and carefully pulling on the t-shirt and shorts that had been in the bag. Using the hairbrush and elastic in my travel case, I put my hair into a low bun at the nape of my neck, careful not to hurt my stitches or rises on my abdomen when I brought my arms up to do it.

When I put my arms back down, I heard giggles and shrieking coming from the living room. I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion and slipped on my Converse that I had worn the night before before walking out of the room. walking into the living room, I found Two-Bit, Steve, and Sodapop tickling the twins on the couch, making them gasp for breath and scream with laughter.

I leaned against the doorway and laughed at their antics before walking back nit the kitchen where my parents, Darry (who had gotten out of the shower), and my parents were sitting at the kitchen table. Dinner was cooking on the stove and in the oven.

When I walked in, they all looked up at me.

"Is there something I missed?", I asked hesitantly.

"We were about to start talking about what happened last night", Pony informed me.

I let out a heavy sigh and sat down in the chair next to Ponyboy and started talking, "Last night when I was walking home from work, I noticed people walking behind me. I didn't think anything about it and kept walking until they got my attention. when I turned around, i saw a group of girls that couldn't have been older than me and Pony. I recognized the group's leader as Angela Shepard, Tim and Curly Shepard's sister. She asked me if I knew Ponyboy's girlfriend and I said that I was his girlfriend and asked her why she asked. That's when she said it was because she wanted him and 'she always gets what she wants'. I told her that I didn't want any trouble and she said 'Sorry, doll, but I do' and pushed me onto the ground. she sat onto of me and got out her blade and when I tried to get her off of me, she had her friends hold me down. Angela punched me in the face and had one of her friends start cutting the underside of my arm." I traced the line on my arm where I had been cut while I talked. "I told them to stop, but the person who was cutting my arm just cut it again along the side. Angela cut my shirt and camisole off and cut me with her blade across my torso, from under my left arm to my right hip." I once again traced where I had been cut while I talked. "I was screaming for help, so Angela punched me in the face again. Then she started punching me in the stomach, right where the cut was. While she punched my stomach, someone used the blade again and made a cut from my neck to my collarbone. I continued screaming and someone finally helped. The gang came over and shooed Angela and her gang off before Pony grabbed me and he and Two-Bit ran me back here. Two-Bit came in first and told Darry to get all the first-aid stuff ready. When me and Pony got in, he put me on the towels in the living room and got out the stitching supplies when the rest of the gang came in. He made them stay in the kitchen while he sewed my stomach up. Soda stayed so I could grab his hand while Pony stitched me up. Eventually, I was stitched up and he wrapped bandages around my arm and torso. Since I lost so much blood, they gave me food and stuff to get my blood sugar up and whatnot."

My parents and Darry looked at me in both horror and shock. Ponyboy even looked shocked since he hadn't heard me tell the whole story yet.

"Are you sure you're okay, Peanut?", Mom asked.

"Yeah", I assured her, "A little shaken up, but I'm okay."

"Well, I have to thank you all for taking such good care of Lily while we weren't there", Dad said, looking at Darry and Pony.

"Of course, Mr Smith", Pony told him. He had grasped my hand right after I had sat down. "I would do anything for her."

I blushed a bit and looked down at Pony and I's intertwined hands.

"She's like everybody's kid-sister", Darry added.

"Well, it's good to know that she's being taken of well by everyone here", Mom said.

"Don't you worry, Mrs. Smith. She's one of the gang. And nobody in the gang is ever not taken care of", Darry assured.

The twins were still giggling in the living room, making me start to laugh. Their laughs were just too contagious not to. I reached up to unconsciously fiddle with my necklace, but then realized that I hadn't put it on the day before. I let out a small sigh of relief that it was safe at home.

Just then the timer for dinner went off. It was one of those little timers that looked like a clock which you twisted to the appropriate time.

Pony opened the oven to get the chicken and I stood a little bit to the side so I could get the rice off of the stovetop. The gravy was on the stovetop as well which I hadn't noticed until now, so I took that off too.

"Soda! Two-Bit!", Darry called, "Dinner's ready! Make sure to bring the kids too!"

"On it, Superman!", Soda yelled back and ran into the room with Anna on his back. She was wearing her usual getup of jeans, a t-shirt, and Converse with her hair in a ponytail. Two-Bit came in right behind Soda, holding Henry upside-down by his ankles. Henry's greased hair had some fly-aways, though I think he was having too much fun to notice. Steve walked in being them, a smirk on his face and his arms crossed.

"If you break my siblings, Sodapop, I'll break you", I threatened as I set the table.

"Yes, ma'am", he said, taking a hand of of Anna's legs to salute me, making him drop her a little, resulting in her squealing.

I rolled my eyes at him. We all sat down, having to add an extra chair to the table.

"You did good, honey", I told Pony after I had taken a bite of the meal.

My boyfriend blushed a little at the praise, "Thanks, darlin'."

"So", my dad started, "What happens around here?"

"Chaos", Ponyboy answered with a chuckle, "Complete and utter chaos. All-day, everyday."

"When you have a hoard of boys all pretty much livin' under one roof, it gets real crazy real quick", Darry said.

"I can definitely testify to that", I laughed, "Y'all may as well be animals."

Two-Bit let out a dramatic faux gasp, "But, doll! I thought you loved us!" He collapsed back in his chair and clutched his chest, "Oh, my poor heart can't take it no longer. Stevie, kiss me to make the pain go away!"

He leaned toward Steve who was in the chair next to him, causing the latter to lean away, gripping the table to make sure he didn't fall onto the floor. "God, no! You ain't gettin' nothin' outta me, Matthews."

Two-Bit gave an overly exaggerated pout before going back to his food. The twins were recovering from the giggling fit that he had caused them with his theatrics.

Soon, dinner was done and the dishes were being put away. Soda was on dish duty that night while the rest of us were in the living room watching T.V. My parents were on the couch with the twins on their laps, Darry was in his recliner, and the rest of us were on the floor. Pony sat with his back to the coffee table and I sat between his legs, my back resting on his chest.

"Do you think they liked them?", he whispered in my ear, making me shiver.

I nodded and turned my head to face him, "Yeah, I definitely think they did. The twins certainly did."

Pony chuckled, "I figured that much. Two-Bit and Soda are still basically kids themselves, so why wouldn't they get along with the twins?"

I laughed a bit, "Very true, my dear. Very true."

Pony turned his head and looked at the window for a minute before standing up, pulling me with him and announcing, "We're gonna go out back."

"Go ahead. Don't do anything I wouldn't do", Darry told us, his eyes trained on the news anchor on the T.V screen.

Pony and I walked out onto the back steps and set down, going back to the position we had been in while in the living room. I lay the back of my head against Pony's chest and he rested his chin on top of my head. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes, which I quickly snatched away.

"Nope", I told him, "Remember we talked about this? No smoking for you. It's harmful. Causes cancer."

"That's why they're called cancer-sticks, Princess", Pony said. I could feel his voice vibrating on the back of my neck.

"I will _make_ you cut down on smoking, Ponyboy Curtis. It's not a good habit."

He sighed, "I'll try harder to cut down. How 'bout that?"

"Good." I leaned up and gave him a peck on the jaw before leaning against him again. "It's progress."

Pony wrapped his arms around my shoulders so they crossed right above my chest and his hands gasped my shoulders. I put my hands over his.

The sun had started to set and we both stared at the purples, reds, yellows, and oranges.

"I love you", Pony told me, leaning down and kissing me right behind my ear.

I smiled, "I love you too, honey. So much."

"I'm happy to have you back."

"I'm happy to have you back too", I said and turned around a little, giving him a kiss.

And we stayed there, just watching the sunset. Happy and content.

 **Sorry it's taken such a long time for me to update! Schoolwork has been horrible and I haven't had as much time as I would've liked to write. IT'S CHAPTER THIRTY, GUYS! WE MADE IT! Don't get me wrong, I'm not ending this now. There's still a long way to go. I love y'all and stay gold! -AthenaRavenclaw13**


	31. Chapter 31

A few days after my family met the gang, it was Ponyboy's birthday. I put my hair up into a dance bun on top of my head and wore a light green sundress with my black Converse and my necklace. My gift for him was in my hand, wrapped in some cheap wrapping paper. It was a signed copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" that had recently come into the bookstore along with a few other copies of the signed edition. Since I worked at the bookstore, I got some money off when I bought it and I knew he would like it.

When I got to the Curtis house, there was lots of screaming, which was made louder than usual, presumably by the fact that it was Pony's birthday.

I knocked and there was no response. They probably couldn't hear me over their noise. I knocked once again, louder this time. Still, no one answered. I sighed in exasperation and just walked in. I knew that's why they always left the door unlocked, but it just didn't feel right to walk right into someone's house.

When I walked into the living room, I quickly saw where they screaming was coming from. The entire gang had pretty much dog-piled on top of Pony and were tickling the life out of him. He was laughing so hard, his face was red and there was no noise coming out of him.

I smiled at the scene and yelled over all the raucous, "EXCUSE ME!"

All the boys jumped and looked at me leaning nonchalantly against the living room doorway.

"Hey boys", I said in a now completely calm tone, "How's your day been goin'?"

"Jesus", Soda laughed, "You'd think Mom just came into the room."

"Might as well be at this point", I pointed out, "I'm more mature than most of y'all by a landslide."

"Is that so?", Two-Bit asked, creeping towards me. I knew what was coming, so I placed Pony's present on the coffee table and ran. Two-Bit chased after me as I sprinted around the house. I finally ran into Soda and Pony's room and closed the door behind me, keeping it shut by leaning my back against it.

"C'mon, doll", Two-Bit whined, "Let me in!"

"Oh hell naw", I said through the door. I heard the gang laughing.

I waited behind the door for a few more minutes, until I was sure Two-Bit wasn't right on the other side of it anymore, waiting for me to come out. Opening the door very carefully and quietly, I tip-toed into the living room only to be immediately thrown over Two-Bit's shoulder.

I squealed and laughed a bit while pounding Two-Bit's back with my fists. "Keith Matthews, you're lucky as hell I'm wearin' something under this dress, 'cause if I weren't, you'd be six feet under."

The gang laughed again from the couch, enjoying my "threatening" of their friend.

"Pony, aren't you supposed to be on my side?!", I yelled at him.

"Sorry, darlin', there's nothin' I can do", he told me with a smirk so I knew he was kidding.

I stuck out my tongue at him and tried to wiggle out of Two-Bit's grasp without hurting my healing stitches or bruises.

"Alright!", I relented, "Alright! I give! Uncle!"

My tormenter ungracefully threw me on the couch, me landing on Ponyboy and knocking the wind out of both of us.

"So", I asked breathlessly with a small laugh, "How's your day been goin' so far?"

He pulled me onto his lap and gave me a quick peck on the lips, "Better now that you're here."

The boys (save Darry) started fake gagging at Pony's cheesiness while I just let out a laugh.

"Happy birthday, honey", I smiled.

"Thanks, Princess." Pony moved me off his lap and onto a free spot next to him on the couch. He had already gotten dressed, though his hair wasn't greased.

"What're we doing today?"

He shrugged, "I don't wanna do anythin' much. Just staying here and lounging around is good with me."

I smiled and lay my head on his arm, "That sounds good."

We all stayed there that day, not doing much except for joking around and watching T.V. At about 5 o'clock, the call rang out for dinner from the kitchen and we all barreled into the room and sat down at the table. I was next to Pony, per usual, and Soda was on his other side. Darry made Pony's favorite: baked chicken, mashed potatoes and corn.

"So Pony", Two-Bit waggled his eyebrows at him, "Have you and Lily…done the deed yet?"

Darry and Sodapop looked disapprovingly at Two-Bit for asking their little brother about that. Steve and the perpetrator himself were laughing their behinds off. Ponyboy and I had practically choked on our food. I even started aggressively coughing because of my food going down the wrong way and Pony lightly patted my back until I had had some of my drink and my respiratory system was functioning normally again. His face was burning red and I couldn't imagine mine was much better.

I cleared my throat, "No, Keith. We haven't…'done the deed' yet."

"Why not? By the time I your age-"

"Two-Bit", Pony cut him off with an irritated tone, "Please…just don't."

"Fine", Two-Bit huffed and went back to his food.

I suddenly became very seemingly interested in my food, not wanting to have to look anyone in the eye. Pony grabbed my hand under the table and I looked up at him to see a slight smile on his face and a look of amusement in his eyes. I gave a small smirk back and intertwined our fingers.

Soon it was time for cake. Darry brought it out of where it had been stored in the ice-box and put it on the table lighting the 15 candles that had been placed on it.

"Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday, dear Ponyboy.

Happy birthday to you", we all sang.

He blew all of the candles out in one blow and I kissed him on the cheek as the candles' smoke curled and drifted into the air. Pony cut the cake into pieces and gave some to everybody. When he gave me mine, he took the frosting that had gotten onto his finger and put it on my nose.

I feigned shock, my mouth turning to an O. "You did not just do that."

"Oh, but I did", he smirked.

"Oh, you're in for it now, buddy."

"What're you gonna do to me?", he asked, attempting to cock an eyebrow.

I pulled his face to mine and name sure to get the frosting on my nose onto his face during the kiss. When I pulled away, he had chocolate streaked onto his cheek.

"That's what I'm gonna do to you", I laughed.

The gang chuckled at us as they ate their cake.

Pony simply rolled his eyes at me with a smile and wiped the frosting off his cheek and hands with some napkins before giving me my slice of cake, which I dug into immediately.

"How've your stitches been doing?", he asked as we ate.

"They seem to be healing up just fine. They're still pretty sore, but that's what happens."

Pony nodded in agreement and forked another bite of cake into his mouth.

After cake, we opened presents. Darry gave him a watch, Steve gave him some money (he wasn't terribly good with gift-giving), Two-Bit gave him a switchblade, and Soda gave him a picture in a frame. It was the entire gang of boys, including Johnny and Dally. They were at the park and looked like they had just finished a game of football. Pony had hopped on Soda's back, the older flashing his movie star grin and Pony smiling at the camera. His smile wasn't as reckless as his brother's, more boyish and cute. Darry was standing next to the two with a football tucked under his arm and his small smile on his face. Johnny was on the other side of Pony and Soda and was smiling the smile that he used in public. Not his real, contagious smile that I had seen at the church before the fire. Dally was next to Johnny, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a dangerous smirk playing on his mouth. Two-Bit was next to Dally, his goofy grin as prominent as ever.

I smiled at the picture and turned to Pony to see tears in his eyes. They had to have been from seeing Johnny and Dally in the picture. He blinked rapidly to make the tears go away. Leaning up, I kissed him on the cheek and wrapped my arms around his middle.

"I love you, honey", I whispered.

"I love you too, darlin'", he replied, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and kissing my temple.

My gift was handed to Pony and he easily peeled the wrapping paper off and smiled when he saw the book.

"Thank you, darlin'", he said.

"You gotta open it, Pony", I laughed.

He opened the book and upon seeing the signature on the inside page, he turned his head to look at me.

"How'd you manage this?"'

"They were at work and I knew you'd like it", I told him.

Pony pecked my lips, "Thank you again, darlin."

"It was my pleasure."

"Oh my God", Soda said, getting our attentions.

"Something wrong, Pepsi-Cola?", Darry asked.

Soda didn't answer Darry, instead running to the bookcase where Darry had gotten the photo album out of back in November. He grabbed a different album and ran back, plopping down on the couch next to Pony and I.

"How have we never shown this to you before, doll?", Soda exclaimed.

"Shown me what?"

"Pony's baby photos!"

My boyfriend covered his face with his free hand, the arm that was around my shoulders pulling me into his chest so I wouldn't see the pictures. I laughed and pulled myself out of Pony's chest, looking at the photo album.

It was light blue with the words " _Ponyboy's Baby Book_ " written on the cover in cursive lettering.

"Did your mom write that?", I asked.

"Yeah. She did."

Soda passed the book onto Pony's lap and he opened it to the first page.

There was a colored picture of Mrs. Curtis on a hospital bed. Her cheeks were rosy and her hair was disheveled from labor. She had sat up in the bed and the covers were drawn over her legs and was looking at the little bundle of blankets in her arms. Mr. Curtis sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the blankets in his wife's arms as well. They were both smiling brightly. A toddler Sodapop was sitting on his knees next to his mother, craning his neck to get a look at his new baby brother. A 5 or 6 year old Darry was on his father's lap, looking at the baby as well.

The next page had picture of Mrs. Curtis holding the baby in her arms at and angle towards her two older sons. Soda had an adorable look of excitement on his face and a goofy little smile to boot. Darry stood behind him with big smile on his face, one of the biggest ones I think I had ever seen on him. Under the picture in the same cursive as on the front cover, there was the caption " _Sodapop and Darry seeing their little brother for the first time_ ".

Pony turned the page, which held the first picture in the book where you could see the baby's face clearly. Pony was laying on his back on the hospital bed in only a diaper with a curious expression on his face as if wondering what the camera was. His eyes were big and a bright, almost emerald green as opposed to their lighter and grayer appearance that they had taken on a he grew. He had tufts of brown hair on his head and was chubby to no end.

Under the picture, there was writing that read:

 _Ponyboy Michael Curtis_

 _Born at 1:25 pm on July 22, 1951_

 _7 pounds and 5 ounces_

 _21 inches long_

I put my hands to my face and my face broke out into a massive smile, "Honey, you were adorable!" Tears started to spring to my eyes which happened almost every time I saw a baby. I just assumed it was girl thing, though I was probably wrong.

"Thanks. But if I was adorable then, what am I now?"  
"Now you're handsome", I told him and kissed his cheek.

He blushed and turned a few pages. Pony was older now, maybe 6 months old and he was smiling at the camera, a single tooth showing from his bottom row. He was dressed in a white shirt and a little pair of overalls and had a small blanket clutched in his tiny fist. The brown hairs on his head had grown a little longer and had started to curl a little at the nape of his neck.

Turning another page, there was a picture of Pony on his hands and knees. it seemed like he had just started to crawl judging by how he had the most adorable look of concentration on his face, as if wondering just how he was going to do this.

A few pages after, there was a picture of Pony propped up on his mother's hip. She had one hand around his back and the other holding his balled up fist. His free hand was touching her hair and he had almost a look of awe on his face as he looked at her. Mrs. Curtis was smiling down at Ponyboy.

The next picture was of Pony propping himself up on the edge of the coffee table, and trying to stand up. Mrs. Curtis was sitting on her legs next to him with her arms out to catch him if he fell. Soda was standing near his mom and had his mouth open in a way that seemed like he was yelling out of excitement.

Turning a few more pages, there were to pictures on one page. they must have been taken on the same day. In the first one, a 2 or 3 year old Ponyboy was sitting on Mr. Curtis's shoulders and was covering his father's eyes as he tried to wrap his little arms securely around the older's head. Mr. Curtis seemed to be laughing with the same smile as Soda.

In the next picture, Darry was sitting in the grass of their front yard with Pony sitting maybe a foot away. It looked like Darry was trying to play football with his baby brother, rolling it across the grass. Pony looked like he was giggling and Darry was smiling at him, probably excited to share his love of the sport with someone new. There was a blur in the background of the picture.

"What is that?", I questioned, pointing to the blur.

Darry leaned over and squinted at it, "I think that's Soda runnin' around the yard like a manic. Though, I'm not surprised. He wouldn't have been able to sit still long enough to roll the ball around with toddler."

I laughed, "I don't even think he would be able to sit still for that long now."

Pony chuckled before turning another few pages, landing on a picture of him at about 5 years old. It must have been the first day of school because he was wearing a little backpack. He had on a little flannel shirt, some jeans, and a little pair of tie-up shoes. Soda was standing next to him with an arm around his shoulder and a few teeth missing. Darry was standing next to them with his arms crossed across his chest, probably thinking that he was too old for these first-day-of-school pictures. He looked thoroughly unamused with his mouth set in a straight line and an expression that said "Really, Mom? We have to do this again?" I knew that expression well, since I used it almost anytime my mom wanted us to take pictures.

"Darry, you looked pretty ticked off", Pony laughed.

"I thought I was too tuff to still be taking pictures on the first day of school at eleven years old. Oh, those were the days."

About 2 weeks after Pony's birthday, it was the first day of school. We were going to be sophomores. My mom had made me let her give me a haircut the day before, which I was not at all happy about. She cut off enough that my hair went from being at about my waist before, to bring at my mid-back after.

I woke up at 5:30 per usual for a school day and ate my breakfast and drank a cup of coffee before going up to my room to get dressed. I put on a white blouse and blue knee-length skirt with my necklace and my black Converse. I put my hair in curlers the night before in hopes that my hair would be curly the next morning. No such luck. Within five minutes of taking out the curlers, my hair was stick straight once again. Sighing heavily, I rethought my plan for my hair, finally settling on half-up-half-down. I quickly put on some mascara before hearing a light knock at the door. The noise would have been much harder to hear if everyone in my house except for me wasn't sleeping.

I grabbed my backpack and fled down the stairs and opened the door to see Pony standing on the doorstep.

"Hey, honey", I greeted before calling goodbyes to my parents and closing the door, stepping out right next to him.

"Hi, darlin'. You ready?"

I nodded and pointed down the street in a Napoleon stance, "Tally forth, Horseman."

Pony ran up behind me and tickled my sides as payback, making me laugh loudly until a neighbor yelled for me to "Shut the hell up or else". I turned a vivid shade of red and looked down. Pony wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the side of my neck lightly.

I took his hand and we started our walk.

"You know that we're in the same classes again this year, don't you?", Pony confirmed.

"Yeah. Why do you mention it? Is it a bad thing?", I teased.

"Glory, of course not. I love having you in all my classes. It makes the day way easier, I can tell you that much."

"It's crazy", I started, "We've known each other for a whole year now."

"And it's been one hell of a year", Pony added.

"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one."

"Ain't that the truth."

We continued walking in silence, just enjoying each other's presence until we got to school. Steve and Two-Bit were leaning against the building, smoking cigarettes.

"Howdy", Two-Bit said with a grin. He held out a cigarette to Pony, "You want one, Curtis?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks. I'm tryin' to cut down." He looked down at me and smiled. I smiled back and leaned against him, wrapping my arms around his middle as he wrapped one of his around my shoulder.

"Am I missin' something?", Steve questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"I asked him to try and cut down on the cigarettes", I explained, "They're bad for your health."

"That's pretty damn obvious, doll", Two-Bit laughed, "They _are_ called 'cancer sticks' y'know."

"I've been informed."

Just then, the bell rang, signaling all of the students to get inside.

I leaned up gave Pony a peck on the lips, "I'll see you in a minute."

"I'll be waiting."

I walked into the school and headed to where it seemed my locker and homeroom were. Soon, it was time for first period. I had history. Walking into the room, I quickly found Ponyboy standing against the wall while he was waiting for me and pulled us to a table.

"Who's ready to learn about how Henry the Eighth's wives died?", I asked with fake enthusiasm.

"I am!", Pony joked.

That's when our teacher walked in. An old, crotchety seeming woman with a crisply starched blouse and skirt. She rapped her desk with a ruler to get everybody's attention.

"I am Mrs. Pope", she started, looking menacingly over her glasses at us, "And I will be your teacher this year for tenth grade history. I will now take attendance."

This teacher was a Soc. You could tell from her clothing, the way she acted as superior as she did, and most noticeably, the way she judged students. During attendance, whenever she said the name of a Soc student and they answered "Here", she would peer over her glasses and study every expect of them that she could before nodding approvingly at them. Whenever she got to a greaser's name, she glared at them, being critical of everything from their name to their clothes to their hair.

"Lily Smith", she said.

I raised my hand. "Here", I spoke. She studied me very carefully. I knew she couldn't seem to figure out if I was a greaser of Soc by my clothes and hair, since they weren't typical greaser girl attire.

After staring at me for what seemed like an hour, something seemed to kick in her head.

"You were in the news last year", Mrs. Pope said, "You and some other kids saved some children from a burning church."

I let out a small, inaudible sigh, "Yes, ma'm. We did, though, if you don't mind, I would rather not talk about it."

She narrowed her eyes at me before continuing her list.

"Ponyboy Curtis", she said after a few more minutes.

"Here", he answered with a raised hand.

"And you", Mrs. Pope started, "You and that other boy, Jonathan Cade, killed that nice young man, Bob Sheldon last year. I had Mr. Cade for the short time he was here last year. I remember him quite well. You two went into the church with Miss Smith."

Pony visibly stiffened in his seat and I froze. The entire class was looking at us, some of them turned around in their seats. The greasers, and even a couple of the more civil Socs, were giving us looks of pity. I had never heard Johnny's full name before and hadn't even thought that he had a name other than Johnny, though, it made sense the more I thought about it considering most people wouldn't just name their child Johnny.

"Well…", Pony shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I…that…" He took a breath, "Like Lily, I would prefer not to talk about that, Mrs. Pope, if that is alright with you."

I grabbed his hand under the table, connecting our palms and squeezing as tight as I could, ignoring the clamminess of both of our now-sweating hands. When I looked at him, his eyes showed pain at the reminder of Johnny, his brows furrowed, not in a look of confusion, but in a state of concern and anxiousness as to what the teacher would say next. I held his gaze for a few seconds as Mrs. Pope seemed to mull both of our requests and comments over.

She gave him a glare that was only noticeable if you had been looking for a reaction as we were, which only lasted about a millisecond, but gave you the impression that she would put you six feet under at the snap of someone's fingers if you looked at her the wrong way.

The two of us stayed silent during the remainder of class, not uttering a word and feeling like if we did, she would question us further.

When we left the room, hand-in-hand, the first thing I did was give Pony a one-armed hug since my other one was propping my books on my hip, resting my forehead on his chest. He tightly wrapped his free arm that didn't have his books tucked under it around my shoulders.

"I thought everyone was all done with talking about it", I muttered into his shirt, breathing in his cologne.

Pony sighed heavily, "I know, darlin'. But I don't think we'll ever be past it, really. Just because it's been almost a year doesn't mean that people aren't going to talk about it. It'll always be there."

I looked up at him, "But why does it have to be?"

"That's just the way life is. What happened was a huge thing that can't just be swept under the rug. It affected Socs _and_ greasers."

"But talking about it hurts."

"I know it does, Princess", he kissed my forehead, "We can talk about it more later, but right now, we gotta get to art class."

I nodded and pulled back, taking his hand once again and both of us jogged to class.

"She did what?!",Two-Bit yelled. Him, Steve, Pony, and I were sitting out on the school lawn and eating lunch.

"You heard him, Keith", I sighed, exasperated.

"Mrs. Pope was always an ass, but this is just a new low for her", Steve growled.

"I saw her judging all the greasers, but I had no idea she'd come out with something like that", Pony said.

"Stronza", I murmured before taking a bit of my sandwich.

"Hmm?", Two-Bit smirked, "What was that?"

"I'm pissed off, Matthews, so I wouldn't suggest messing with me right now", I threatened, giving him a glare.

He put his hands up in surrender and went back to his food.

Pony wrapped an arm around me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"What did you say?", he asked, "Out of curiosity."

"I called her an asshole in Italian", I told him simply.

"Good job", he praised before eating a chip.

 **Guess who's back! I can update sooner because of no insane amounts of schoolwork. I think I want to do a mini thing on questions you guys have about Lily. Just stuff that you want to know about her. If you want to ask a question, just comment it and I'll probably answer it (No promises, though (; ) I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	32. Chapter 32

I continued my job at the bookstore and Pony continued his at the DX (much to Darry and Soda's annoyance). During the summer, I had continually practiced more with my pointe shoes almost every day because my teacher told me that this year we would be doing more than one class a week; Mondays and Thursdays. In the past couple of years, we hadn't used the pointe shoes much in our dances, only going up on them a few times during the dances. But this year, we would be doing a lot more pointe work and Ashlynn and I could audition for the studio's production of "The Nutcracker".

Soon after the art project was announced, it was Pony and I's one year anniversary. We planned to go one a date, though Pony had insisted on making the plans. And I agreed, albeit hesitantly.

It was a Saturday, so I had plenty of time to get ready. I put on a coral dress with a thin black belt, a black sweater, and the black t-strap heels that belonged to Mrs. Curtis. I had turned on the small radio in my room and listened to the music as I got ready. A song called "Do You Love Me" by The Contours came on and as I did my hair, I started dancing to it. And when I say dancing, I don't mean like ballet or tap dancing. I mean like the new dancing that parents and older people found scandalous. The kind of dancing you might see greaser girls doing on the dance floor at Buck's.

I had put my hair in a tight braid from when I woke up until when I was getting ready, so it would be wavy. I was doing a little French braid to the grown-out bangs near my face when the song came on.

" _Do you love me?_

 _(I can really move)_

 _Do you love me?_

 _(I'm in the groove)_

 _Do you love me?_

 _(Do you love me?)"_

 _Now that I can dance_

 _(Dance)"_ , the radio sang as I moved my hips in a circle, bending my knees to make them swing more.

When the song came to the part where there were a few separate beats at _"Watch me now"_ , I swung my hips sharply to each side.

" _Ah, work it all baby_

 _(Work, work)_

 _Well, you're drivin' me crazy_

 _(Work work)_

 _With a little bit of soul now_

 _(Work)"_ , I finished doing the braid as the song continued to play and I rolled my hips and bent my knees even more and loosely put my hands on top of my head and ran them down my torso as I circled my hips before stopping at my hips. I continued the rest of the section of the song rolling my hips as I had been, but with my hands on my hipbones.

When there were more separate beats between the former part of the song and the chorus, I once again sharply swung my hips to either side.

That's when I heard a knock in my doorway, making me whip around, confused at who was there until I saw my boyfriend. He had a goofy smile on his face, like he had just witnessed some seemingly miraculous occurrence.

My eyes widened to the size of saucers and my face immediately felt almost unhealthily warm. I knew my face must have been firetruck red.

"Hi", I greeted, hoping to break the silence. I turned off the radio.

"Wow", Pony said, staring at me, "That was…wow."

I smiled embarrassedly and looked for my sweater on my bed.

He walked over to me and hugged me from behind.

"I didn't know you could dance like that."

"I dunno…I was just dancing. It was the music that caused me to do it, though."

Finally grabbing my sweater, I turned around in his arms, something making a rustling noise as I did. Pony leaned down and gave me a kiss before taking his arms from around me and holding out a small bouquet of red roses with baby's breath.

I gasped a little and smiled, "Are these for me?"

"Well, they're not for your brother", he chuckled.

"Thank you, honey." He gave me the flowers and I kissed his cheek. "You're too sweet."

"I think I can counter that argument", he told me as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and walked me down the stairs.

"Awe", Mom said when we got to the bottom of the stairs, "You guys are so cute."

"Thank you, Mrs. Smith", Pony said with a small grin before seemingly remembering something. Pony let go of my shoulder and went over to my mom, leaning down to whisper something in her ear since he was a good 5 or 6 inches taller than her. He pulled back and looked at her, seeming to look for approval of some kind. Mom smiled widely and nodded, gesturing Pony back over to me. I was confused, but decided to ignore it.

"Now, you two go off and have fun. But now too much fun", she said as she opened the door for us, "Be safe and try to be home by curfew."

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be just fine", I assured her before remembering the bouquet in my hands, "Oh, and can you please put these in water while I'm gone?"

"Of course", she said and carefully took the flowers from me and opened the door for Pony and I, "Bye. I love you."

"Bye, Mom", I said and kissed her cheek, "I love you too."

Then I took Pony's hand again and we walked out of the house.

"So, where are we going?", I questioned.

Pony took my hand in his and interlocked our fingers, "I was thinkin' we could go to the diner, then a movie. After that, we could go to the park."

"That sounds wonderful."

We had our food at the diner, making conversation the whole time. Then, we went to the movie house where, since there weren't many new movies showing, they were showing "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. One of my favorites.

After the movie, we walked to the park. Pony looked a little anxious and nervous.

"Are you alright, honey?", I asked, getting nervous myself.

"Hmm?", he said, seeming to come back from spacing out.

"I asked if you're alright", I repeated.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, darlin'."

"Pony, if you're nervous about something, please tell me. I don't want it to lead to another fight."

His face softened, "I'm not nervous, just thinking. You'll find out why soon. Don't you worry." He brought my hand up and kissed the back of it before rubbing it affectionately.

I smiled and knew he was okay. If he was lying, I would see right through him.

Soon, we got to a large grassy area of the park with no playgrounds or fountains (God forbid) in sight.

Pony took off his jean jacket and placed it on the ground, laying down on the ground next to it and patting it, ushering me to sit on it. Carefully, I sat down on the jacket and lay my head on Pony's chest. We both looked up at the shy where the stars twinkled and shined against the dark backdrop of the night sky. The moon was almost full, a waxing gibbous, I think our science teacher called it last year.

"Look", I said, pointing up at the stars, "There's the Big Dipper. And there's Orion's Belt."

"Where's Orion's Belt?", Pony asked.

I took his hand and manipulated it so his index finger was out before moving my head closer to his so we would be seeing things in approximately the same places. Closing one eye for better focus, I moved his finger to where the constellation started.

"See, there's the head and then there are the shoulders. Then down there where there's that line of three stars? That's the belt. Keep going down and there's a knee then there's each foot. That's his bow", I explained, moving his finger according to where I was talking about.

He had closed one eye for perception as well and after I showed him where the constellation was, he opened it and traced the design in the air himself, smiling as he did.

"When I was little I used to think that each star was someone who had died", he said.

I grinned, "That's beautiful, love."

"Which stars do you think they would be? If people who were gone were stars or constellations?"

I knew who Pony was talking about.

"Dally would be Hercules, I think. He did bad things in his life, but in the end, he was a good person who should be celebrated. And Johnny…Johnny would be Perseus. All odds seemed against him, but he persevered. And in the end, he'll be remembered as a hero."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I spoke, wiping it away quickly.

"I like that", Pony said, "I think those are exactly right."

We sat there for a bit, just taking in the quietness, before I spoke again.

"Pony?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Like now?"

"No, I mean when we're older. What do you want to do?"

"I don't really know yet. It always changes. Right now, I'm thinking of being an author or a screenwriter or somethin'. What about you?"

"I want to be a teacher."

"Why's that?"

"First off, I love kids. Second, I want to help people. I want to be the teacher for them that teachers aren't really now for us, if that makes sense. I want to have a place where there are no social classes, at least for a little bit. Where kids can feel safe and loved and at home. A place…a place where they can stay gold, I suppose you could say."

"I think that's great. You would make the best freaking teacher anyone's ever seen. The school system won't know what hit 'em."

I laughed a little. "But you know what I've wanted to be most? What I've wanted to be for even longer than I've wanted to be a teacher?"

"What?"

"A mother", I answered, "I've always dreamed of having little kids of my own. Ones that I can raise and love. Have you ever though about that?"

"Yeah, sometimes. I want kids, definitely. How many would you want?"  
"Three or four. Two girls and a boy or two of each."

"Have you ever though of who you'd be having them with?", Pony asked quietly.

"Well, at the moment, I would prefer that it would be you that I have kids with. I think we'd be good parents, don't you?"

I looked up at Pony's face which was illuminated by the moonlight. He was smiling gently.

"Here", he said, grabbing something from his jeans pocket and putting it in my hand, "For you."

Looking in my hand, I saw a folded up piece of paper, the creases sharp, as though it had only been done recently.

I gave Pony a look of confusion, but he just nodded at me and smiled again. I sat up so I would be able to see whatever was on the paper in the bright light of the moon.

Opening up the letter, I saw words.

 _Since we first met, you have stolen my heart;_

 _And I can't stand to be apart_

 _From your lips or your eyes or your smile,_

 _All of which help me forget for a while_

 _The things that can make life distressing and hard._

 _And, although we have both been scarred,_

 _Our minds and bodies alike,_

 _I know each other's tears we will always wipe._

 _Together, we've gone through Hell and back_

 _Since life never cuts us any slack,_

 _But I know that I'll see the outside's light_

 _As long as we're together, our hands clasped tight._

 _Darlin', you are my rock, my comfort, my life_

 _And I know you can get me through any strife._

 _You are my best friend, my world and my love;_

 _I feel as though you've been sent from above_

 _For when I felt like I couldn't go on_

 _And, alone, the gang couldn't move me along,_

 _You, my dear, stepped up to the plate_

 _Determined to set my life back straight._

 _When you laugh, it's music to my ears_

 _But when you cry, I am too close to tears,_

 _Both make my heart skip, but not for the same reason_

 _If I did not soothe you during the latter, it would feel like treason_

 _To not help something so beautiful and pure_

 _And even though, in confidence, you are demure,_

 _Let me assure you that you are stunning and exquisite._

 _You may as well be in a museum's exhibit,_

 _Standing on the pedestal and looking divine;_

 _It's hard to believe that you are mine._

 _Your humor, goodness, humility, and grace_

 _Are things that you cannot erase._

 _In my mind, I have absolutely no doubt_

 _That it is you that I can't live without._

 _I know we're young, and people say we've no common sense,_

 _This has no consequence_

 _On my feelings and love for you, my dear_

 _And know right now that I'll always be near._

 _No matter of location or what people say,_

 _Our love we'll always feel and convey._

 _People can watch and people can stare_

 _As long as both of us are there,_

 _Loving one another as we always do._

 _I think if I were to be without you._

 _My life would probably still,_

 _For my darlin', I love you. And I always will_

 _-Love, your Ponyboy_

Tears were flowing down my cheeks. Tears of what exactly, I couldn't tell you, though, I can say with no hesitancy that they were good tears. Amazing tears, in fact. The only word I could think of to describe the tears was love. They were tears of love. The hand that wasn't holding the paper was covering my mouth in shock and surprise.

I looked up from the paper to look at Ponyboy, seeing him staring at me.

"Ponyboy", I murmured, "Did you really write this?"

He nodded.

"It's beautiful", I told him, looking to into his green eyes.

"Well…", he started, once again reaching back into his pocket, "Lily, I love you more than anything in the world. I know we're both only fifteen, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't propose to you yet, but this is a promise ring. It's supposed to show how much I love you and that, even though we're too young to get married, I want to give you something that shows that I love you and that I'm planning on it in the future."

Pony took his hand out of his pocket and held a ring between his index finger and thumb. It was silver and the underside of the ring split a little into two parts at it got further to the top of the ring. Each of the divided parts of the ring had two small hearts on it. One was blue and the other red, representing our birthstones (mine a sapphire and his a ruby). Next to each birthstone was the name of the person whose birthstone it was; _Ponyboy_ written next to the red heart and _Lily_ written next to the blue one.

Tears continued to stream down my face as I nodded and put that hand that had been covering my mouth on my chest. "Yes, Ponyboy. Of course I accept it", I told him with a teary smile.

He smiled so big, it looked like exactly one year before when he had asked me to be his girlfriend. Then he rushed forward and kissed me, clutching the ring in his fist and wrapping his arms securely around my waist as I put a hand on the back of his neck and the other cupped the side of his face. Pony leaned into me so fast, he knocked me to the ground, making me break the kiss to laugh. He looked at me, our eyes meeting. Green to brown. Now I could see what people said when they knew that we were in love. He looked at me like I was the only person in the world and I could see in his eyes how much he cared for me.

"Read the inside of the ring", Pony said, moving the hand that held the ring out from under me. He held it so the moonlight hit it in exactly the right place so I would read the words and turned it as I read, so I was able to read the entire inscription. Inscribed inside the ring were the words " _I love you and I always will"_. Tears sprung to my eyes once more.

"I love you so much, Ponyboy", I whispered.

He slid the ring onto my left ring finger, "I love you too, Lily. And I always will."

Pony leaned down to me, kissing me more gently this time. I wrapped my arms around his neck as though if I didn't, he would disappear. He wrapped both of his around my waist again, clutching me tightly to him.

We stayed like that for a bit, kissing and holding each other.

When we pulled away, Pony looked at me. "I think I should get you home. I don't want your parents killing me."

I smiled, "Okay. But if we want to walk, you have to get off of me, honey."

He laughed lightly before sitting back on his knees, then pulling himself up to his feet. I gladly took his hand when he held it to for me and picked up his jacket from the ground as I stood up.

"Thank you, darlin'", Pony said when I gave it to him. He shrugged it on before taking my hand and starting our walk back to my house.

"Is that why you were so nervous earlier?", I asked as we walked.

"Yeah."

"Did you really think I was going to say no?"

"No, I felt like you were going to say yes, but…Well, you know when you have a really big test that you studied really hard for and know that you know the stuff, but you're still scared you're gonna fail? That's what it was like."

I laughed, "And was this what you were whispering to my mom about before we left the house?"

"Yeah. I told he what I was gonna do and if it would be okay with her and your dad. Luckily she said yes."

"How'd you get the money for the ring? It must've cost a fortune."'

"Well, I saved up some money from my job at the DX. The rest of the money I gave to Darry for bills and stuff. The stones on the ring are the same one that's on your necklace, but colored to match our birthstones. The engravings were probably the most expensive part of the whole thing, though it wasn't that bad. It's not as nice as somethin' a Soc could get you, but I tried."

I hugged his arm, "It's perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"That's good to hear", he told me and moved from holding my hand to wrapping his arm tightly around my shoulders before leaning down as he walked and kissing my cheek.

"I have a gift for you at my house too. I didn't want to give it to you earlier because I didn't want you to have to carry it around the whole date. It's not like it could fit in your pocket."

"You didn't have to get me anything, darlin'."

"Well, you didn't have to get me anything either, honey, so you have no ground to stand on in this debate", I laughed and leaned up, kissing him on the jaw.

Pony chuckled and hugged me closer to him in the chilly night air.

I yawned a little and nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck as we walked.

"You tired, Princess?"

"A little", I responded.

"Is the Boston accent gonna make an appearance soon?", Pony teased.

I laughed, "Oh, shut up."

Pony checked his new watch from Darry, "Just in case you were wondering, it's ten-thirty."

I groaned, "We gotta get back to my house quick, then. My curfew's eleven."

"It came out", he smirked, "Your accent."

"Don't care. Keep walking." I put my arm around his middle and yanked him so he would walk faster.

"Damn", he chuckled, "You're stronger than you look."

"Thanks. Don't get that often when you're a dancer. Or when you're me. My mom calls me a weakling."

He laughed out a piteous "Awe."

I rolled by eyes, "C'mon, Horseman. Keep it movin'."

Soon we got back to my house and I knocked on the door. My mom answered with a smile.

"Soooo", she dragged out the first word, "How was the date?"

"It was lovely, thanks for asking", I said, "I'll be right back." I sprinted up the stairs as quietly as possible so I wouldn't wake up Anna and Henry, grabbed Pony's gift from my room and quickly ran back down the stairs. Dad was sitting on the couch with his paper and a cup of coffee. He cocked an eyebrow at me, amusedly, but I waved it off and sat next to were Pony had sat down on the couch (most likely by my mother's direction).

"Here", I breathed as I handed him the cheaply wrapped present.

Pony put it on his lap and unwrapped the wrapping paper, pulling out the present. It was a framed picture of the two of us from the dance recital in June. The picture was of Pony and I kissing, his arms around my waist and mine around his neck. It was taken from the side, so you could see both of us. I had leaned back during the kiss, so it looked a little like he was dipping me.

Pony looked at me and smiled, "Thank you, darlin'. I love it."

"Are you sure? It's not nearly as nice as what you got me."

"I'm absolutely sure. It's just perfect."

He leaned in and kissed me, pulling away shortly after since my parents were there and watching.

"I should probably get home now, or Darry'll have me six feet under", Pony told me, standing up. I lead him to the door and kissed him again quickly.

"I love you", I said.

"I love you too", he smiled, "And I always will."

He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out of the house and dow the street.

When he left, I closed the door and leaned against him, emitting a happy (albeit cliché) sigh.

Mom rushed over to me with a smirk and held out her hand, "Let me see it."

I laughed and put my left hand in her hand, letting her examine the ring.

"He did good", she admitted, "I'll give 'im that much."

"What exactly are we looking at and talking about?", Dad asked from the couch.

I walked over and sat down next to him, showing him my hand as well. "Pony gave me a promise ring while we were on our date."

"And what does that mean, exactly?", my dad questioned, scrunching up his eyebrows.

"It means that, even though we're too young to get engaged and married, Pony wants to in the future and wants a future with me."

"Okay", my dad nodded, "I didn't think I'd be okay with this, but I am. I trust him and know he has good intentions."

I smiled, "Good. I'm gonna go to bed now. Goodnight, guys. Love you."

Quietly, I walked up the stairs and into my room, changing into my pajamas, brushing my hair, and putting my ring and necklace on my bedside table before falling into a deep sleep.

 **(A/N: Now, just bear with me here. I'm going to try something)**

Ponyboy's POV

I was pacing around my house like a nervous mess before Lily and I's one-year anniversary date.

"Pony", Soda laughed, "You'll be just fine. You're not proposing to her, you know."

I sat on the couch next to him, just as jittery as he was nearly everyday of his life. "I know that. It's just…what if she doesn't accept the ring? What if something goes wrong? What if her _parents_ don't accept me giving it to her?"

Two-Bit walked into the room then. "Is he still goin' on about the promise ring thing?"

"You bet your ass he is", Soda responded before turning back to me. "Ponyboy, she's going to accept it. Her parents like you, so they'll be fine with it. Nothing will 'go wrong' and even if something does, just work around it. You got that, Little Colt?"

Nodding, I heavily inhaled and exhaled.

"Jeez, if only Dad were here to talk to you about this stuff. He would know exactly what to do."

Two-Bit plopped onto Darry's recliner (since the man in question was at work still), a beer in hand. "Pone, you gotta suck it up. Be a man."

I rolled his eyes at his remark. What the hell does 'Be a man' even mean? How, exactly, do you 'Be a man'?

I felt my pockets, making sure I had everything I needed. Switchblade? Check. Paper with poem? Check. Ring? Check. According to the watch Darry had given me or my birthday, it was time to go to Lily's house to pick her up. Grabbing the bouquet I had gotten her off of the kitchen table, I said my goodbyes to Sodapop and Two-Bit as I walked out the door. Steve had fallen asleep on the couch after his shift at the DX with Soda and he didn't know about the ring anyway.

When I got to Lily's house, her mom opened the door and let me in. The bouquet of roses and what the lady at the store had informed me were "babies breath" now felt hot in my clammy hands. I was dressed fairly nice in a clean t-shirt and jeans with Converse and a jean jacket that Two-Bit had stolen for me right before the school year started.

"Oh, Ponyboy, come right in", Mrs. Smith said, ushering me through the door. "Lily's just finishing up getting ready. She's probably just about done by now, so why don't you go up to her room and grab her."

As I walked up the stairs, I heard music coming from her room and she had turned it up loud. When I got to her doorway, I got something I wasn't expecting: She was dancing.

Don't get me wrong, I knew she danced. She was the one who had thought me to dance for Pete's sake. But this wasn't the kind of dancing I had seen her do before.

Lily was facing the wall and doing something with her hair as she danced. It was the new kind of dance fad that teenagers and college kids were doing. Something you would see the greaser girls doing at Buck's while the guy they were dancing with grabbed their hips after a few too many drinks. Yet, when Lily did it, it didn't look as inappropriate as it usually was considered to be (not to me anyway). It looked more graceful, effortless, I guess you could say.

She moved her hips around in a circle, the upper half of her body somehow not following suit like it would have if I would have done it (and wouldn't have that have been a sight to see) during the lyrics of the song, then swinging her hips pointedly when the beats were more distinct. She had finished with her hair at this point and was just dancing, making me entranced. She continued circling her hips, but this time, she ran both hands down her body as she did it, making my breath catch in my throat. Then, she once again swung her hips strongly too each side.

She always had been and always would be absolutely beautiful, exquisite, stunning, etc. to me, but in that moment, I mentally added "hot" to the list, though I knew there wasn't a word that really fit. "Hot" didn't seem right and I had never really liked using the word. It seemed almost derogatory. But was the only word in my vocabulary that could scratch the surface of what I meant, so I used it.

These are the kinds of things that make me know what I'm doing tonight is the right choice.

Deciding to finally make my presence known, I knocked on her open doorway. She turned around so fast I was surprised it didn't give her whiplash and her face instantly turned an almost concerning shade of red at me catching her. The corners of my mouth had turned into a smirk and I was looking at her, infatuated.

"Hi", Lily muttered as she turned off the radio.

"Wow", was all I could say, "That was…wow."

She smiled cutely and became immersed in looking for something on her bed. I walked over to her and put my arms around her waist from behind.

"I didn't know you could dance like that", I said.

"I dunno…", she muttered, trailing off, "I was just dancing. It was the music that caused me to do it, though."

Grabbing what looked like a sweater, she turned around and scrunched her eyebrows together when she heard the rustling of the paper from the bouquet. I gave her a quick kiss before pulling away and holding the flowers out to her.

Her mouth formed a little O and she gasped (I found this reaction adorable, by the way). "Are these for me?"

"Well, they're not for your brother", I laughed.

She carefully took the flowers from my hands. "Thank you, honey. You're too sweet."

"I think I can counter that argument", I told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and walking us down the stairs.

"Awe", Mrs. Smith cooed when we got downstairs, "You guys are so cute."

"Thank you, Mrs. Smith", I said to her before remembering to ask her about the promise ring. I walked away form Lily for a moment and going over to her mother, having to lean down to whisper in her ear since she was about 5'5 to my 5'10.

"Mrs. Smith, I love your daughter very much. Since we've been together for a year now, I wanted to give her something to show that I always want to be with her. It's a promise ring. Before I gave it to her, I just wanted to ask your permission ask if you and Mr. Smith would be alright with me giving the promise ring to Lily."

I leaned back, searching Mrs. Smith's face for approval. She smiled widely and nodded rapidly, then gesturing me to go back over to Lily. She had a confused expression on her face, but shook her head a little bit, seemingly trying rid herself of whatever she was thinking of.

"Now, you two go off and have fun. But not too much fun", Mrs. Smith ordered, opening the door, "Be safe and try to be home by curfew."

Lily quickly quieted her mother's worries and handed her the bouquet to put in water while we were out.

As we walked down the street, Lily asked, "So, where are we going"

"I was thinkin' that we could go to the diner, then a movie. After that, we could go to the park."

"That sounds wonderful", she smiled.

We went to the diner, which was thankfully not too busy for a Saturday night, then to the movie house, where they were playing "Roman Holiday". I knew it was one of Lily's favorites.

Once we were walking to the park (where I planned on giving the ring to her), the nerves started setting in. If this is how nervous I'm gonna get giving her the ring, how bad am I going to be when I propose?, I thought.

She seemed to catch on to my anxiety.

"Are you alright, honey", she asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were alright", she said again.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine darlin'", I told her.

I could tell she didn't believe me.

"Pony", she started, using my real name which she normally didn't do, "If you're nervous about something, please tell me. I don't want it to lead to another fight."

That was when I understood her concern. That fight was absolutely terrible and neither of us wanted to relive to.

"I'm not nervous", I assured her, "just thinking. You'll find out soon. Don't you worry." I gently kissed the back of her hand and rubbed it in an effort to calm _her_ nerves, even if I could calm my own.

She smiled a bit and I knew she could tell that I was being honest. I could never figure out how, but she could always tell when I was lying when even the gang couldn't.

We got to a part of the park with more greenery than some other parts. I sat down and took off my jacket for her to sit on before laying down. After a moment's hesitation, she sat on it, laying down herself with her head resting on my chest. I absentmindedly twisted a piece of her almost mousy brown hair around my finger as we both just stared up at the starry sky. Not as many stars were visible as there were in the country, but there were still a fair amount.

"Look", Lily pointed her finger skyward, "There's the Big Dipper, And there's Orion's Belt."

Some nights when we were laying out at the lot, Johnny would say that he found a new constellation in the sky. I could never figure out where any of them were, save for the Big Dipper, and I never felt like asking.

"Where's Orion's Belt?", I asked her.

She took my hand and put out my index finger, moving her head closer to mine, so we would see the same thing and closing one eye for better depth perception.

"See, there's the head and there are the shoulders. Then down there where there's that line of three stars? That's the belt. Keep going down and there's a knee then there's each foot. That's his bow", Lily explained, moving my finger.

I closed my eye and traced my finger along the design, smiling a bit.

"When I was little I used to think that each star was someone who had died", I told her quietly.

"That's beautiful, love", she said with a small grin.

"Which stars do you think they would be? If people who were gone were stars or constellations?", I asked.

I watched her face as she thought about it, knowing that she knew who I meant.

"Dally would be Hercules, I think. He did bad things in his life, but in the end, he was a good person who should be celebrated. And Johnny…Johnny would be Perseus. All odds seemed against him, but he persevered. And in the end, he'll be remembered as a hero."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke, but before I could wipe it away, she did it in hopes that I wouldn't notice it.

"I like that. I think those are exactly right."

We lay in silence for a while, enjoying just being there with each other.

"Pony?", Lily asked, getting my attention.

"Yeah?", I responded.

"What do you want to do?"

"Like now?", I questioned confusedly.

"No, I mean like when we're older. What do you want to do?"

"I don't really know yet", I told her after some thought, " It always changes. Right now, I'm thinking of being an author or a screenwriter or somethin'. What about you?"

"I want to be a teacher", she responded almost dreamily.

"Why's that?"

"First off, I love kids. Second, I want to help people. I want to be the teacher for them that teachers aren't really now for us, if that makes sense. I want to have a place where there are no social classes, at least for a little bit. Where kids can feel safe and loved and at home. A place…a place where they can stay gold, I suppose you could say."

"I think that's great. You would make the best freaking teacher anyone's ever seen. The school system won't know what hit 'em."

She let out a small laugh before speaking again. "But you know what I've wanted to be most? What I've wanted to be for even longer than I've wanted to be a teacher?"

"What?", I asked curiously.

"A mother", she responded, "I've always dreamed of having little kids of my own. Ones that I can raise and love. Have you ever though about that?"

I was a little taken aback by the seriousness of her answer, but answered her question honestly. "Yeah, sometimes. I want kids, definitely. How many would you want?"  
"Three or four. Two girls and a boy or two of each."

I made a quick decision that this was the segway that I would use to give her the ring. "Have you ever though of who you'd be having them with?", I questioned.

"Well, at the moment, I would prefer that it would be you that I have kids with", Lily said, making me internally sigh of relief, " I think we'd be good parents, don't you?"

She looked up at my face, looking for an answer. Instead of an answer, I smiled and handed her the paper from my pocket.

"Here", I said, "For you."

She looked down at the folded paper in her hand questioningly before looking back up at me, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. I just nodded and smiled at her to open it. Sitting up to read it in the light of the moon, her eyes scanned over the poem and tears started to flow from her eyes, the hand that wasn't holding the paper covering her mouth. I looked at her, waiting for a response.

Finally, she looked up at me. "Pony, did you really write this?"

I nodded, not knowing if she was asking because she liked it or didn't.

"It's beautiful", she whispered, looking into my eyes.

"Well…",I took a nervous, shaky breath, reaching into my pocket for the ring, "Lily, I love you more than anything in the world. I know we're both only fifteen, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't propose to you yet, but this is a promise ring. It's supposed to show how much I love you and that, even though we're too young to get married, I want to give you something that shows that I love you and that I'm planning on it in the future."

I held the ring between my thumb and index finger, waiting for her to say something for what seemed like hours, though it was only seconds.

Lily continued crying, letting out a small sob as she began to speak. "Yes, Ponyboy. Of course I accept it." Her brown eyes were full of tears (they were happy ones, thank God) which continued to drip down her cheeks.

I grinned as big as I could and practically jumped on her as I kissed her, grabbing her and making us fall to the ground in the process. She broke the kiss to laugh, making me chuckle because of how contagious it was. Her smile faded from her face as she looked at me, her dark eyes searching mine. I could now see what Sodapop had been talking about when he said he could see how much we loved each other by how we looked at one another. She looked so genuinely happy to be there in that moment with me and I could feel her love for me. **(A/N: CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT? I'm sorry, I had to)** I looked at her with as much love as I could possibly muster in one look.

"Read the inside of the ring", I told her, moving my hand, which had clutched the ring in my fist, out form under her and holding up so she could read the inscription in the moonlight, turning it slightly so she could read the entire thing.

"I love you so much, Ponyboy", she whispered.

I took her left hand and gently slid the ring onto her ring finger. "I love you too, Lily. And I always will."

Leaning down, I softly kissed her again, wrapping my arms around her waist securely. She tightly wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me as tightly as she could, it seemed.

For a while, we just stayed there, holding each other. Much too soon for my liking, I pulled away from our kiss.

"I think I should get you home. I don't want your parents killing me."

"Okay", she agreed with a teasing smile, "But if we want to walk, you have to get off of me, honey."

I chuckled, getting off of her and standing up before helping her do the same.

"Thank you, darlin'", I said as she gave me my jacket.

"Is that why you were so nervous earlier?", Lily asked me while we walked.

"Yeah."

"Did you really think I was going to say no?"

"No, I felt like you were going to say yes, but…Well, you know when you have a really big test that you studied really hard for and know that you know the stuff, but you're still scared you're gonna fail? That's what it was like."

She laughed at my comparison. "And was this what you were whispering to my mom about before we left the house?"

"Yeah. I told he what I was gonna do and if it would be okay with her and your dad. Luckily she said yes."

"How'd you get the money for the ring? It must've cost a fortune", she asked hesitantly.

"Well, I saved up some money from my job at the DX. The rest of the money I gave to Darry for bills and stuff. The stones on the ring are the same one that's on your necklace, but colored to match our birthstones. The engravings were probably the most expensive part of the whole thing, though it wasn't that bad. It's not as nice as somethin' a Soc could get you, but I tried", I told her.

Lily nuzzled closer to my arm, "It's perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"That's good to hear", I said and moved form holding her hand to wrapping my arm around her shoulders and kissing her cheek.

"I have a gift for you at my house too. I didn't want to give it to you earlier because I didn't want you to have to carry it around the whole date. It's not like it could fit in your pocket."

"You didn't have to get me anything, darlin'."

"Well, you didn't have to get me anything either, honey, so you have no ground to stand on in this debate", she grinned and leaned up to give me a small kiss on the jaw.

I heard Lily yawn and she put her head into the crook of my neck.

"You tired, Princess?", I questioned.

"A little".

"Is the Boston accent gonna make an appearance soon?", I joked. She hated her accent, but I found it adorable.

"Oh, shut up", she giggled.

I checked my watch. "Just in case you were wondering, it's ten-thirty."

"We gotta get back to my house quick, then. My curfew's eleven", Lily groaned.

"It came out", I told her with a smirk, "Your accent."

"Don't care. Keep walking." She wrapped an arm around my torso and pulled me so I would walk faster.

"Damn",I grinned, "You're stronger than you look."

"Thanks. Don't get that often when you're a dancer. Or when you're me. My mom calls me a weakling."

"Awe", I laughed piteously.

"C'mon, Horseman. Keep it movin'", Lily said with an eye roll.

When we got back to Lily's house, her mom answered the door, asking how our date went.

"It was lovely, thanks for asking. I'll be right back", Lily said before running up the stairs.

"You can sit down, you know, dear", Mrs. Smith told me.

"If it's alright", I said, hesitatingly siting on the couch next to Mr. Smith.

Just then, Lily came bolting down the stairs, though I could tell she was being as quiet as she could for the sake of the sleeping twins.

"Here", she said, almost falling onto the couch next to me. She handed me something wrapped in wrapping paper, which I carefully set on my lap.

Opening the present up, I found a framed picture of the two of us kissing from her dance show back in June.

"Thank you, darlin'. I love it", I smiled at her.

"Are you sure?", she asked nervously, "It's not nearly as nice as what you got me."

"I'm absolutely sure", I assured her, "It's just perfect." Leaning in, i gave her a small kids since her parents were there.

"I should probably get home now, or Darry'll have me six feet under", I told her as I stood up. She lead me to the door where she gave me a quick kiss.

"I love you", Lily said.

"I love you too. And I always will", I told her before exiting the house and walking home.

As I walked, I kept the picture securely tucked under my arm. When I walked into my house, I couldn't keep my goofy grin off my face.

"I'm guessin' it went well?", Soda smirked.

"Oh, it went better than that, Pepsi-Cola", I said, doing a little giddy dance.

"What's he all happy about?", Steve questioned as he walked in from the kitchen, with a disturbed look on his face once he saw my outburst. Luckily, we had been getting along better since "The Incident" almost a year ago.

Darry was sitting in his recliner with his paper, a cup of coffee, and an amused expression on his face because of my dance, practically the opposite of Steve's face at that moment.

I flopped onto the couch with a content sigh, pretty much landing on top of Soda.

"Ugh", he groaned when I landed on him, "God, Pony, you're gettin' too big."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah", I waved him off with a smirk.

"So, what happened to make him like this?", Steve repeated.

"He asked his gal to marry 'im", Two-Bit chuckled.

I threw a pillow at him, "I _did not_ ask her to marry me."

"He got her a promise ring and gave it to her on their anniversary date tonight", Soda told Steve, blocking the pillow that Two-Bit had thrown back our way.

"And what is that, exactly?", Steve asked, taking a bite of the chocolate cake he had brought in from the kitchen.

"It means that even though we're obviously too young to get married now, I plan on marrying her when we're older", I explained.

"Ooooooo", Steve teased, "Pony's in love!"

"Wasn't this already confirmed like a year ago?", I laughed, "Y'all know that I love her. it's not like this is the first time you've heard me say it."

"I know", Sodapop smiled, "But we just like teasing y'all about it."

"Hey, loverboy, what's that?", Darry asked, looking over his paper.

"This?", I asked, gesturing to the picture.

He nodded.

"It's what she gave me as an anniversary gift."

"Lemme see", Soda said, grabbing the picture and looking at it.

"Awe", Two-Bit cooed when he saw the picture, "Aren't you two just the cutest wittle couple."

I rolled my eyes, "It's a picture from her and Ashlynn's show back in June."

"Oh, yeah", Soda remembered, "They did good."

"Don't I know it", I laughed.

 **Yay for updating more frequently! I wanted to try writing the night from both Lily's and Pony's POVs. How do y'all think it went? I loved writing this chapter and I cried when I was writing about the stars. Since not many people asked questions and one of the questions was kind of answered in the chapter, instead of doing a whole chapter of questions, I'll just answer the one that wasn't answered already here.**

 _ **Meggels**_ **asked: If Lily could go anywhere in the world, where would she go?**

 _ **Answer**_ **: I think she would go to Paris, France. She's a hopeless romantic, and Paris is the city of love, so I think she would want to go there. Also, there is so much to see and do there and I think she would enjoy it.**

 **I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	33. Chapter 33

A few days after Pony and I's anniversary, it was my fifteenth birthday. That day was a school day, so I saw Two-Bit, Steve, and Pony. Two-Bit got me a switchblade, Steve and Soda both chipped in to get me a book (Pony probably told them which one to get), Darry got me a book as well, and Pony just gave me extra hugs and kisses that day since our anniversary had only been a couple days before, which I was completely fine with. My family from Boston sent me a couple things as they did every year.

School (and Mrs. Pope's terribleness) continued without fail. Pony and I weren't necessarily "called out", but she always seemed to save her nastiest looks for us.

Ashlynn soon started walking to school with Pony and I. Her and I were both planning to try-out for "The Nutcracker", the actual auditions of which were coming up very quickly. We all talked about teachers, mostly the ninth grade ones since Ashlynn was in ninth grade and Pony and I had had those teachers already. We both warned her about Mrs. Pope, though, since Ashlynn wasn't involved in "The Incident" directly, she wouldn't be targeted as much as we were.

One day when Pony and I had a class that was near my locker, I grabbed my things for my next classes quickly enough that I could walk with Pony to his locker before we went to our next class.

"What're you doing?", he asked as he slammed his locker door shut.

"What do you mean?"

Pony chuckled, "Darlin', look down."

I looked down and saw that I had started to do a ballet exercise without me noticing.

"I'm doing roll-ups", I answered simply.

"And those are…?"

"It's an exercise we do in dance to prepare ourselves to go up on pointe", I explained as we walked to English.

"And pointe is…?", he asked, laughing a bit at his own cluelessness.

"It's when we go up and dance on the tips of our toes."

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"Well, yeah. Of course it does. But you get used to it", I shrugged.

Pony started at me confusedly before shaking his head and muttering something about how he would never understand how the hell ballet worked.

On the day of the anniversary of Johnny's and Dally's deaths, we were all somber. Two-Bit didn't crack as many jokes. Steve didn't ramble on about stupid things like he usually did. And Pony and I…well, we just stayed as close to each other as we could the whole day. The expression "attached at the hip" came to mind. If one of us left the other for even a few minutes, the second they came back, the other would instantly wrap and arm around the other or grab their hand. I talked much more than him that day because that was the only way I could cope: distracting myself. I could tell he didn't mind all my talking since I knew that he knew as well as I did that if I stayed silent, I could very well break down into tears. When I had to stay quiet in class, I played with his hand under the desk, bounced my leg under the table, and fidgeted with my necklace and ring.

When we all ate outside that day, Pony, Two-Bit, and I sitting on the ground and Steve leaning against the trunk of a tree. No one did much talking except for me until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"We're all going to the graves tonight", Pony told me as we walked back into the building, "Are you gonna be there?"

"Of course. We should probably get Ashlynn to come too since she's Sodapop's girlfriend."

"Good idea", he said, grabbing my hand tightly.

When I got home, I finished my homework as quickly as I could and called into the bookstore saying that I would be coming in that night before running downstairs to tell my mom that I would be out.

"Where're you going?", my mom asked.

"I'm going over to the Curtis' and we're all going to the cemetery."

My mom just nodded in understanding.

"Be careful and don't stay out too late. You have school tomorrow."

"Okay, Mom", I said, kissing her on the cheek, "When Dad gets home, just tell him that I had some school stuff to do."

I walked out the door and met Ashlynn outside of her house where she was holding some flowers.

"Where did you get those?", I questioned.

"I picked them after I finished my homework. My mom still had a few flowers alive in her garden and I know she won't mind. I thought that we could put them on the graves."

I smiled a little and looped my arm through her's, "I think that's a wonderful idea."

Walking into the Curtis house, there was definitely not as much noise as there usually was. Ashlynn immediately walked over to Soda and wrapped her arms around his middle. He hugged back, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders and resting his chin on top of her head. Steve was sitting on the couch and hugging a girl who was sitting on his lap. I assumed that was Evie. Pony was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, which Darry would have usually chastised him for doing. He was hunched over and his elbows rested on his thighs while his head was in his hands. I walked over to him and sat next to him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Hi", I spoke quietly.

"Hey."

"I think we're all here so we're probably gonna go soon."

"Okay."

I took on of his hands and intertwined our fingers causing him to look at me. I gave him a light smile.

"Let's go", Darry told all of us. We all stood up went out the door.

No one talked for a while until I did.

"Hi", I said, turning to the girl who was now holding Steve's hand, "Are you Evie?"

"Yeah, I am", she answered, turning to me, "I'm guessin' you're Ponyboy's gal?"

"Yeah. I've heard a lot about you since he and I got together and wanted to meet you, but haven't 'til now. I wish we could've met under better circumstances."

Evie nodded sadly.

"And that's Ashlynn. She's Sodapop's girlfriend. I don't think you two have met either."

"No, I don't think we have", she said, "How long've you and Pony been together?"

"We just had our one-year anniversary the other week", I told her, squeezing Pony's hand, "How long've you and Steve been together?"

"About two and a half years. What about Soda and his girl?"

"They've been together for 'bout ten months, I think."

Evie looked like a typical greaser girl, yet she also didn't. She had dark brown, almost black hair and sapphire blue eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with the front teased so there was a bump and a red bandana was tied around her head on the back border of the bump. There was dark eyeshadow on her eyelids with cat-eye eyeliner and lots of mascara on her eyelashes. Bright red lipstick had been applied to her lips. Evie was wearing a low-cut v-neck shirt which showed off her cleavage, a leather jacket, jeans, and 4 or 5 inch red heels that clicked when she walked. But, even though her appearance showed that she was a greaser, she seemed too soft-spoken to be one. Her voice was quiet and silvery as though she had never touched a cigarette. And the way she held onto Steve's hand, you could tell that she really loved him. You could tell they were serious. She was tinier than me or Ashlynn, probably only 4'10 or 4'11 feet without the heels on and she had a petite frame.

"What grade are you in at Will Roger's?", I questioned.

"I'm a junior with Steve. And you?"

"I'm in sophomore year with Pony, but I skipped a grade like he did."

By then, we were at the cemetery, walking through the entranceway. Johnny's and Dally's graves were found quickly.

Pony squeezed my hand tightly and I looked up at him just as he looked down at me. His green eyes were filled with tears.

He let go of my hand for a moment and went over to Ashlynn.

"May I?", he asked, gesturing to the flowers.

"Of course", she nodded.

He took two and walked over to the graves. I trailed behind him, stopping when he did, ending up a couple feet behind him. He just stood there for a bit.

"I'm so sorry", Pony whispered, choking on his words. He was crying now. He almost seemed to crumble, his knees seemingly giving out from under him as he sank to the ground.

I sank down on my knees next to him.

"Pony?", I asked in a whisper, getting his attention.

He slowly looked up from the ground and I used my hand to get him to face me, He looked like a little boy, tears running down his cheeks and his lips wobbling.

"Pony?", I asked again, brushing my thumb across his cheek.

He just seemed to crumble right in front of me, starting to sob as he felt into me.

His arms wrapped around my waist and he buried his head into the crook of my neck. I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his hair.

"I'm so sorry", he sobbed.

"Sorry for what, baby?"

"It's my fault."

"What's your fault?"

"This!", Pony cried, "All of this! It's all my fault!"

I started to cry, putting my head into the crook of his neck as well.

"No", I sobbed a little, "None of this is your fault."

"It should've been me", he wailed into my shoulder, "It should've been me."

His hot tears soaked the shoulder of my jacket and hit my chest, running down my shirt. I couldn't have cared less, though.

The gang had started crying behind us, even Darry, Two-Bit, and Steve, though they were doing it more quietly than the others.

"Ponyboy", I sobbed, "Stop saying that! It shouldn't have been you! None of this is your fault!"

He repeated his mantra of "It's my fault. It should've been me" several times as I whispered disagreements in his ear.

"Please stop", I whimpered.

Pony took his head out from my neck, making me do the same, and looked at me. The anguish and sorrow in his eyes sent me into another fit.

"Please stop", I repeated, "Please, please, please stop."

"It shouldn't have been you. I don't know what I would do if it had been you", I hiccuped.

"What?", he whispered and tilted my chin up to look at him.

"I love you too much for it to have been you. You have so many people who love you. Your family loves you. The gang loves you. Your parents love you. _I_ love you. I love you so much. Please don't say it should've been you because it's not true", I whispered.

He touched his forehead to mine.

"I'm sorry", he shakily whispered. "I just want them back so bad."

"I know", I told him, tears still leaking from my eyes. "We all do. But they wouldn't want us wishing that it had been us instead. Remember Johnny's letter? He said it was worth it. He said he was okay with not living if it meant that those kids got to. He would want to be happy. I know we're never going to get over all this. It's impossible to get over all this. But please don't let this haunt you. We're too young to have survivor's guilt."

"Okay", Pony whispered, "I'll try. I'll try as hard as I can."

"That's all I ask."

"I love you", he said quietly.

"I love you too. So, so much."

He stood up before helping me up and I wrapped my arms around his middle and put my face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the crown of my head.

Ashlynn handed out two flowers to each person, one for each of the graves. Everyone lay the flowers on the graves, first Pony, then me, Soda, Ashlynn, Darry, Two-Bit, Steve, and Evie.

We all just stood there for a while, nobody saying anything and everyone just staring at the graves. Everyone had tears either in their eyes or flowing down their cheeks.

Two-Bit was the first one to speak, surprisingly.

"I miss them", he said.

Darry put an arm around his shoulders. "I know you do, buddy."

"It's hard."

"I know it is."

After that day, we continued on as normal. It was like we all had a silent, unanimous agreement that that day, we could all let everything out. All the tears. All the frustration. All the heartbreak. But after that day, we would all go on as normally as we could. Of course, it wasn't like we only thought about Johnny and Dally that day; we thought about them everyday, all the time. We just kept it to ourselves.

Soon after the anniversary, I faced a new obstacle at school. Angela Shepard. Even though she was in the grade below Pony and I, she still found ways to find me. At lunch, in the girls' locker room, in the girls' bathrooms, etc. Basically anywhere the gang wouldn't be, though at lunch she targeted me out when I separated myself from the gang to throw away my trash or something. She didn't beat me up like she had before. Well, she kind of did, but in a different way. Verbally. Angela said the nastiest things to me, whether they were about my acne, scars, hair, weight, clothes, hair, etc. She accused me of sleeping with the entire gang. She accused me of cheating on Pony. She criticized my relationship with Pony, saying that I was too ugly for him to love me, he wouldn't want someone like me, he should be with her instead, and so on and so forth.

I knew that I had told Darry after Angela and her friends jumped me that if she bothered me any more, I would tell him. But I chose not to. I didn't want to cause anyone anymore trouble than they already had. So I hid the accusations. I hid the insults. I didn't fight her back because I knew it wouldn't solve anything. If I told the teachers, they wouldn't believe me. I was a greaser, so why would they?

I started wearing makeup. I secluded myself more, not spending as much time with the gang as I usually did. I didn't smile or laugh as much, either. I started not eating as much, both because of Angels calling me fat and because I just barely ever felt like eating anymore.

Of course Pony noticed. Whenever he asked me of something was wrong, I simply put on a fake smile and said my go-to answer: "Nothing's wrong." And when he asked me if I was okay I just responded with "I'm fine". When my parents or Ashlynn asked anything, I would say the same things.

That went on for months, almost until Christmas. That was when Angela spread the rumors which spread through the school faster than a speeding bullet. According to these rumors, I was, in fact, sleeping with the entire Curtis gang (from Pony all the way to Darry). I was also sleeping with people in the Shepard gang, supposedly. Another rumor said that Pony was only dating me for sex since I was too ugly for anyone to love me.

It was absolutely awful. Within a few days' time, I went into the girls' bathroom everyday during lunch and sat alone in a stall, hearing the both the Soc girls and the greaser girls talk about my "whoring around". If it was open, I went into the one-stalled girls' room and cried a little until I had to go to class.

The gang didn't know about it until I was confronted about it in front of them.

It was during lunch before I made my daily retreat into the girls' bathroom. We were on the school lawn since it was an abnormally warm December day, the boys eating and joking around as I took occasional sips from my water and put on a small, fake smile when the time seemed appropriate.

That was until some greaser girls walked by. They took one look at me and started laughing and talking. I was used to it by then, so I tied to pay them no mind. But then I couldn't.

"Hey, slut", one of them laughed, "How're those Curtis boys in bed?"

The gang all looked at them.

"Are you talking to her?", Pony asked, gesturing to me.

"Of course we are", the other girl said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "She _is_ the school slut, you know. Everyone knows how she's been doing your gang and the Shepard gang."

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that if I closed them for long enough, everything would just go away.

"Excuse me?", Two-Bit growled, "What did you just say?"

"I'll say it slower for you", the first girl told him, "She. Has. Been. Having. Sex. With. All. Of. You. And. The. Entire. Shepard. Gang. Everyone knows it. She's just a whory slut who's banging almost everybody in Tulsa. It's the talk of the school."

I bit my lip so hard I thought I would draw blood and squeezed my hands together so hard it felt like their circulations were being cut off.

"Doll?", Steve said, getting my attention, "Did you know about all of this?"

I just got up and ran off, pushing past the greaser girls as I went. As I ran, I heard the girls taunting and jeering at me. I didn't stop running until I got to the one-stalled girls' room, which was luckily empty. I leaned my hands against the small table they had in the bathroom until my shaking legs gave out from under me and I sank down to the floor. My morale to not cry absolutely dissolved and I started bawling.

Then the bathroom door opened. _I guess I forgot to lock it_ , the small thought came through amongst the flotilla of others.

I was crying to much to say that someone was in there, though from the noise I was making, they probably had already heard me. I expected them to quickly run out and close the door, but whoever had come in wasn't leaving.

Almost as soon at the person came it, they ran over to me and wrapped me up in their arms. I could smell their cologne. It was Ponyboy.

I sobbed into his chest, my hands clenching the fabric of his shirt in fist-fulls, though he didn't seem to care. He sat down on the bathroom floor and pulled me onto his lap, holding me close and rubbing my back in circles.

"Shh, baby", he cooed as he started rocking me, "It's okay. I'm right here. Just let it all out."

That was precisely what I did, even with all of the tears, drool, and mucus that it entailed. He just kept holding me and whispering things in my ear.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, baby. You're okay. I'm right here and I'm not leavin'. It'll be okay. It's all gonna be okay. Shh, shh."

We stayed like this even after the bell had rang. Two-Bit or Steve probably created some kind of diversion for pony and I to get out of class, which I was very thankful for.

After about 20 minutes of me sobbing hysterically, my tears had been reduced to a few falling every couple of seconds with some small hiccups escaping from my mouth every once in a while.

"What were they talking about, baby?", Pony finally asked.

I sniffed, "Angela Sheppard."

"What about her?"

"Since about October, sh-she's been insulting me whoever you guys aren't around. Sayin' that y-you only wan't me for my body, I'm…h-having sex with all of you. Sayin' that I'm too ugly for you or anyone else to l-love me. Calling me ugly and f-fat and anything else she can think of. A few days ago Angela started spreading rumors about me that I'm h-having sex with e-everyone in the gang and in the Shepard gang and that y-you're only dating m-me for sex."

I hiccuped over my word the entire time I talked, shaking like a leaf.

Pony cussed under his breath and pulled me closer.

"Oh, baby", he sighed, "I'm so sorry this happened."

I just nodded into his chest.

"But didn't you promise Darry that if she gave you anymore trouble, you'd tell 'im?"

I looked up at him.

"I-I know", I whispered, "I just didn't want to cause trouble."

Pony's face softened, "Oh, darlin'. You could never cause too much trouble. And this isn't something would bother anyone for no reason. This is a huge thing. Everyone in the school thinks you're a…", he paused thinking of the right word to say.

"Slut?", I offered, "Whore? Skank? Prostitute? Hooker? Tramp? I've heard them all."

He gave me a look of shock, "What do you mean?"

"Since I'm the 'slut of the school', everyone's been calling me names. In front of me and behind my back. In the halls and in the bathroom. When they know I'm there and when they think I'm not. I've heard all of those and more."

Pony rested his forehead on mine, "I'm so sorry this happened. I'm so sorry you had to do this alone. I'm so sorry you've been hearing those things. You know whatever she's calling you isn't true, right?"

I shrugged.

"But you haven't…", he hushed his tone as if someone would hear, "had sex."

"I know", I told him, playing with my ring "It's…the other things."

He tilted his head a little and scrunched his eyebrows together, "What do you mean?"

"The things she's been saying in private. That I'm ugly and fat and stuff", I murmured.

Pony tilted my chin up so I would look at him instead of my hands.

"Is that why you've been wearing makeup and not eating? And don't you dare say you don't know what I'm talkin' about because I know you."

"Mm-hmm", I relinquished.

"Princess, please don't believe that stuff. You're not ugly. You're absolutely gorgeous. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And you're not fat. Your weight is just fine. Your weight is healthy and that's all that matters. Even if you were 'ugly' or 'fat', you have the best personality. You're so sweet and caring and smart. Glory, I could go on for days. But don't believe a word that comes out of Angela Shepard's mouth, okay?"

I nodded, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being there."

My head rested on his chest.

"Of course", he said and I could feel the vibrations of his voice, which had started to deepen, "It's my job."

"I love you", I told him, looking up at him again.

He smiled, "I love you too. And I always will."

Taking a deep breath, I took his hand, "I think we should get out of the girls' bathroom now."

"Do you think you're ready to go back out?"

"Yeah. I think I'm good now", I said, "Just gimme a second."

I stood up, helped Pony up too and walked over to the sink before grabbing a bunch of paper towels and turning on the cold water faucet.

"What're you doing?", he asked.

"I'm taking off this makeup", I responded, wetting a paper towel and starting the process of taking off my concealer.

Pony stood behind me, watching my reflection in the mirror and smiling at it until I was finished and turned around to face him.

"You ready?", he questioned, wrapping his hand around my shoulders.

I nodded, giving him one of the first real smiles I had done in the past month.

"Yeah", I said, "Let's go."

 **I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER WAS SO SAD. I actually have no idea why I wrote something so sad, but it's what I did. At least it came out well (in my opinion). I myself have never been bullied, but if you have been or are being bullied, TELL SOMEONE. I'm thinking of doing a few more chapters of this and then starting a continuation of Lily's story in another story, which would start right where this one would leave off. What do you guys think? I love y'all and stay gold- AthenaRavenclaw13**


	34. Chapter 34

The day after Pony, Two-Bit, and Steve found out about what Angela had been doing, it was a Friday and I went over to the Curtis' house. Darry was not pleased.

Almost the second I walked into the house, he started lecturing me.

"Didn't I tell you to tell me if she did anything else?", he asked, his voice growing louder.

"Yes you did, but-"

"But nothing, Lily! She could've done worse to you than what she did!"

"How much worse could it get?", I exclaimed, "I'm already known as the 'slut of Will Roger's'! Everyone thinks I'm sleeping with the whole gang, including you!"

Darry's eyes went wide in shock before his face contorted into a look of complete anger and disbelief, "They think I'm sleeping with you? But you're like my kid sister. You're like the kid sister to everyone here except Pony."

"That's exactly my point, Darrel! Then she's sayin' that I'm sleepin' around with the Shepard gang too! And that Pony is only with me for sex! Do you know how demeaning and degrading that is?!"

Darry rubbed his temples, "Does anyone else in town know about all this?"

"I have no freakin' idea. If they do, my parents are gonna find out soon and that'll be the end of me. And then the twins", I cut myself off. The twins.

"Lily", Darry said to get my attention, "Doll, what's wrong."

I started to pace. "Oh my God, the twins. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…"

"What about the twins?", Soda asked worriedly. He was sitting on the couch with Pony and Steve. Darry was in his recliner and Two-Bit was sitting on the recliner's arm. I had been sitting on Pony's lap before I stood up.

"What's gonna happen to them?", I exclaimed, "What's gonna happen to them if word gets around town that I'm the 'slut of Will Roger's'? They could get jumped! They could get killed! All because of me! What if Angela does somethin' to them? What if she does somethin' happen to my parents? Jesus Christ, what am I gonna do?"

I continued pacing and after I finished talking, I made a kind of croaky, whining groan of a sound that I do whenever I get nervous. Then I started fidgeting with my hand, ringing them and twisting my ring around my finger.

"Lily", Darry said, grabbing a hold of my shoulders and shrinking down to my level since he was almost a foot taller than me, "Look at me. You're fine. The twins will be fine. Your parents will be fine. You hear me? They. Will. Be. Fine.

"We need to have a rumble", Darry spoke, more to everyone else than me.

"I know you don't like 'em, doll, but we need to have one and we need to have one real soon", Soda told me from the couch as he bounced his leg nervously. "It's the only way to settle the score at this point."

I sighed and nodded, roughly rubbing the inside knuckle of my right thumb into the palm of my left hand.

"But didn't Tim Shepard like me at the last rumble?", I asked Pony.

"I don't know anymore, darlin' ", he responded, "it seemed like he did, but knowing the Shepards, I just don't know anymore."

"i wanna beat that girl into the ground", Two-Bit practically growled.

"First of all, we haven't even fixed the rumble or its date and second, we don't even know if she's gonna be there if we _do_ have one", I said.

"If she's there. she's done for", Steve spoke this time. "You mess with one of the gang, you mess with all of us. Especially you. You didn't do nothin' wrong."

"Don't I know it", I muttered.

In my entire life, I had never seen anything confirmed and scheduled as quickly as I did that rumble. Tim Shepard and Darry met up later that night and scheduled to for the next day.

"I don't think I'm gonna go", I told the gang after the rumble's date and time had been confirmed.

"Why not?", Soda questioned. We were all sitting around the Curtis' kitchen table and Pony and I's hands were sitting on top of the table, firmly interlocked.

"I just…I just can't do it. I want to be as far away from Angela and the Shepard gang as possible. And I just can't bring myself to do it. My morale's too low."

The boys just nodded and Pony ran his thumb along my knuckles to calm either him or I down. Probably both.

"If you want, you could just lone it here while we're at the rumble. Play nurse when we get back. And you could stay the night if you want and if your parents say it's alright", Darry suggested.

"And what does 'playing nurse' entail, exactly?"

Sodapop shrugged. "Fixin' us up when we get back. Bandages and stitches and all that."

"But I've never stitched someone up before."

"Can you sew?", Darry asked.

"Yeah…?", I said more like a question, wondering here he was taking his point.

"Stitches are just sewing", he told me, getting up to pour himself a cup of coffee, "just on people."

"Oh, that's real reassuring, Darry", I chuckled, "Of course there's no pressure _sewing a_ _person's skin up_."

The next day came and I jogged to the Curtis house at about noon, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and Converse. I had my necklace and ring on and my hair was plaited into a braid down my back. My backpack with my overnight supplies was spun over my shoulder.

I plopped onto Pony's lap after walking into the house and dropping my bag off in his room.

"We'll hello there", he laughed.

"Hey", I responded, laying my head on his shoulder.

"I know I haven't asked you in a while, but how's the cut on your stomach doin'?"

I shrugged. "It's fine. There's just a huge scar now where the cut was."

"Well, it sure makes you look tough", Two-Bit told me with a grin.

"I suppose."

"Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?", Pony asked.

I looked up at him and smiled a little, "Yeah, I'm sure, honey."

"Do you want me to stay here with you?"

"If you wanna go, then go. Besides, you guys need everyone you can get."

"Ain't that the truth", Steve snorted.

A few hours later, the gang was getting ready for the rumble. They were all jumping around and being excessively hyper while Darry and I tried to wrangle them into a somewhat-civil bunch. Steve and Soda were wrestling on the living room floor and Two-Bit had Pony in a headlock on the couch with Pony trying to throw Two-Bit off of him.

"Glory, Pony, you're gettin' strong", Two-Bit groaned as Pony tossed the former roughly onto the couch.

"My little brother's growin' up!", Soda said from the floor where Steve had him pinned.

Yeah, yeah, yeah", Pony waved his older brother off with a smirk, "I know."

"If you think you're so strong, why don't we arm wrestle?", Soda asked. Steve helped him sit up and he moved over to the coffee table and sat on his knees, placing his elbow on the tabletop.

"You're on", Pony smirked again, sitting on his knees and putting his elbow on the table as well, grasping hands with Soda.

"Lily's ref", Soda announced.

"Was I just volunteered for this position without my knowledge?"

"Yep, now get reffin'."

I rolled my eyes and say down cross-legged at the end of the table. "Now, I want a good, clean fight. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am", both brothers answered.

"On your marks, get set, go!"

Ponyboy and Sodapop started pushing against each other. It was rather funny, seeing their looks of determination. It was obvious that it was an equal match. The angle of their arms barely changed and their hands stayed right where they had started until a few minutes into the two arm wrestling. Soda started to lose momentum, leaning into his side. Pony gave a satisfied smirk when he finally pushed Soda's hand onto the able.

During the match, Two-Bit and Steve had been screaming at Soda to beat Pony, not necessarily out of disbelief in Pony's strength, but more out of the fact that since Soda was older and had won arm wrestling against Pony before, they expected him to win. But when Soda's hand hit the table, they went silent in shock. Soda's jaw hit the floor, making to obvious that he hadn't just let Pony win. Darry was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and a proud grin on his face.

"Ponyboy wins!", I cheered.

"Good job, Little Colt", Darry praise, patting his youngest brother on the back. Two-Bit, Steve, and Soda (even though he had lost) all started cheering for Pony, making a light pink blush spread across his cheeks.

"Wee, as fun as that all was, I think it's time for you guys to get goin' ", I said, looking at the clock.

Steve was the first one to run out of the house and start doing flips.

"I can never gat past the fact that y'all can do flips and stuff. It's just the funniest thing to me that you hoods can do back-handsprings and somersaults", I laughed, obviously using the term "hood" affectionately.

"We're just full of surprises, aren't we?", he smiled.

Soda and Darry had followed Steve outside in a procession of flips and tucks and were fooling around on the front lawn. Two-Bit looked like he was winding himself up to do some kind of trick.

I looked up at Ponyboy. "Please be careful."

"Of course. I'll do my best not to get hurt, even though if I do, I get to have you takin' care of me", he joked.

"I love you", I told him, giving him a hug.

"I love you too. And I always will", he responded, hugging back and giving me a kiss.

"You comin', Curtis?", we heard Two-Bit call from outside.

"Yeah", Pony yelled back, "Just gimme a sec."

He kissed me on the forehead.

"I'll be back soon."

"Okay", I lightly smiled, "I'll see you then."

He gave me a peck on the cheek before barreling out the door and flipping off the front steps.

"Bye!", I yelled to the gang, "Stay safe!"

They called back their different variations of "bye"s and "we will"s as they walked away to the rumble.

Ponyboy POV

When we got to the lot, the Shepard outfit was already there. Tim and Curly were standing at the front of their group.

"We're standin' in for Angela since she couldn't come", Tim told us with a snarky grin.

"This rumble is only skin, right", Darry questioned hesitantly.

"Only skins", Tim confirmed before turning to his gang. "Now, apparently Angela and her friends jumped one of the Curtis gang's gals. And I guess Angela's been spreading rumors about that same girl and saying that she's…how was it phrased… 'a slut who's been doing every guy in Tulsa'"

He turned around and smirked at Darry. "Ain't that right?"

"I believe that's how it was phrased", Darry said through gritted teeth. I was clenching and unclenching my fists.

"Though, I can't say I don't believe them rumors", Tim smirked again. "I mean, I'd screw her. Have you seen her ass and tits?"

"Don't you _dare_ talk about her like that!", I growled, storming towards him. Darry and Soda both had to hold me back.

"Oh, so it's Little Curtis' girl we're fightin' about", Tim chuckled. "Should'a known. I remember her. Feisty little, ain't she? Mind lettin' me try 'er out?"

That was the last straw. I wrestled myself out of Darry's and Soda's grip and launched myself at Tim, punching him square in the face.

The rumble had officially started.

Tim and I started rolling on the ground, punching each other anywhere we could. I wanted to pound him into dust. Darry took on two or three of their gang at once. Steve and Soda were fighting four together and Two-Bit was fighting two, one of them being Curly.

I had never fought someone this hard in my life. Not in any other rumble I had ever been to. I wasn't just going to stand around and let Tim talk about Lily like that. Like she was just some object. She was a person and I loved her.

I punched Tim as hard as I could. He had yet another broken nose, a bloody lip. and was developing one hell of a black eye. He slugged me in the face and I knew I would have a large bruise across my cheek.

At some point, I must have loosened my grip on him because he scrambled to his feet and kicked me in the stomach. i gritted my teeth against the pain and wrapped my hands around one of his legs, roughly pulling on it so I could bring him back down to to the ground again. Tim found his way on top of me and flicked out a blade.

My eyes widened. _This was a strictly skin only rumble_ , I thought, _No. Weapons. Allowed_.

"This is for my sister", he said, cutting my back through my shirt with the knife. "Your little whore probably deserves all those rumors. They're probably all true."

I felt a new surge of adrenaline and flipped Tim over and snatched the blade from his hand, holding it to his throat.

"If you say one more thing like that about my girlfriend, you're gonna know what it feels like to be six feet under the ground", I hissed. Stabbing the blade into the ground next to us, I slugged him hard in the jaw before attempting to pound his face in.

"They're runnin'!", I heard Soda yell, "We won!"

I got off of Tim and glared at him. "Now, you and your sister, and your whole crew ain't goin' nowhere near my girlfriend. You dig?"

Tim just gave me a glare that I remembered seeing on Dally; hard, cold, and menacing. He stood up and sauntered off to go join the rest of his gang.

"Pony, we won!", Soda cried, running over and swinging me around. I let out a loud groan when he touched where the blade had gotten me.

He immediately pulled away. "What happened?"

"Tim brought a blade", I winced.

He muttered a few choice words under his breath and helped me stay standing before calling the gang over and telling them.

"Come on", Darry said, hooking an arm around my back an putting one of mine around him, "Let's get you home to your gal."

Back to Lily's POV

When the boys left, I quickly took a shower and got dressed in my pajamas. After brushing my hair and teeth, I tied my hair into a low, messy bun and sat on the couch, trying to preoccupy myself with a book. The book was doing nothing for me, contrary to usual. I was too worried about the gang and was hoping none of them got hurt too badly because, though it was a skins rumble, you could never be too sure. Especially with hoods like the Shepard gang. So I just tried to watch T.V to get my mind off of my worry.

About an hour and a half after they had left, I could hear the gang come up the steps. I jumped off of the couch, turning off the T.V and opening the door for them.

Soda ran in first, looking around frantically before spotting me standing behind the door.

"What happened?", I asked hurriedly.

"Tim brought a blade to the rumble and cut Pony in the back", he explained quickly.

I cursed and rushed into the bathroom where I knew the first-aid kit was stored. When I ran back into the living room, I saw Darry helping Pony sit on the couch.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?"

"I'm okay", Pony answered with a wince, "Just got a little roughed up."

I rummaged through the kit and pulled out the antyiseptic, bandages, a needle, and some thread.

"Pony, I need you to take your shirt off", I told him, fiery blush making its way up to my face.

"I think I might need a little help with that, darlin' ", he winced again.

I helped him put his arms into his shirt and tugged it over his head.

"Darry", I ordered, "help him lay on his stomach."

I threaded the needle and looked at the cut to see how much thread I would need. It was fairly deep, but not too deep that he would need to go to the hospital. It was about 3 inches and spread across the ribs of Pony's back, almost on his side.

After quickly wiping away the blood and cutting the thread, I got to work stitching the cut. Luckily, my mom had taught me how to sew when I was younger because it was a useful skill to have, especially on this side of town. She learned all about that when she was little, living in the North End of Boston with the other Italian families. Dad had learned those kinds of skills, but on the South End with the Irish and Scottish families.

Pony winced when I put the stitches in and let out the occasional groan. The rest of the gang was pretty beat up too, but none of them except Pony needed stitches.

It wasn't the most opportune time to do so, but while I was stitching Pony up, I couldn't help but stare at his back. It sounded incredibly stupid and cliché, but couldn't help but admire the muscles that had developed there from his growing up and doing athletics. There was also a fading tan from all the days he had spent playing football shirtless with the rest of the gang in the summer.

After about ten minutes, I was done.

As I carefully dabbed the antiseptic onto the cut, Pony winced and let out a muttered, "Damn it."

"Sorry", I told him, trying to get the antiseptic on as quickly as I could.

"It's alright", he said back, "It's not your fault."

I helped him sit up and wrapped a bandage around the area of his torso where the cut was before wetting a facecloth and wiping the dirt and blood from his face, so I could assess the other damage.

He flinched when I touched his cheek and I could quickly see that he had a huge bruise across his left cheek.

After what felt like hours, everyone was cleaned up and bandaged. The boys all went to bed and Pony and I went into his room. I lay down in the bed first and he followed after throwing on a pair of sweatpants.

"How was the rumble?", I asked.

"It was okay, I guess. We won, but I didn't like it."

"What happened? Other than the obvious, I mean."

He sighed. "Tim Shepard was talking about you."

"And what exactly did he say?", I questioned.

Pony sighed again, "He said that he would think the rumors are true because of your, and I quote 'ass and tits'. He also said that he would 'screw you' and asked me if he could 'try you out'."

I ran my hand over my face. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"I'm sorry that stuff was said about you."

I looked up at him and gave him a kiss. After about twenty seconds, we pulled away and looked into each other's eyes (as cheesy as it sounds). Then, Pony crashed his lips onto mine, making my eyes widen a bit, before I kissed him back. He got on top of me while we kissed, propping himself up on his elbows so he wouldn't all of his weight on me. My arms snaked around his neck, one of my hands tangling itself in his hair and the other grabbing at his back a bit. His forearms were under me at my waist, pulling my body up closer to his.

Soon, his tongue carefully licked at my lips, asking to French kiss. I opened my mouth and allowed him access. It wasn't like he just shoved his tongue down my throat. It was more gentle and caring than that, our tongues more "dancing" with each other, as people referred to it.

After a while of this, we both had to come up for air. Pony gave me a few gentle kisses from my mouth and started down my jaw, heading to my neck. He kissed my jaw before going down to where you can feel your pulse through your jugular. When that heeded no results, he continued to a spot right after the edge of my jaw, right under my earlobe. Still nothing. He made his way down the side of my neck until he reached about half-way down, where I softly sucked in a sharp breath. I could feel him smirk a little against my skin before he started kissing the spot more roughly. I clutched at his back when he started sucking at that spot, a small moan making its way out of my mouth. My eyes flew open at the noise, shocked that the sound had come from me. I felt Pony's breath against my neck, meaning he was laughing at my reaction, though he seemed to enjoy it. A few more soft pants came from my mouth as he continued on my neck, stopping when he was seemingly satisfied. He once again trailed kisses from my neck to my jaw to my mouth, where we continued where we had left off with the French kiss. His hands went a little up the hem of my shirt, resting on my lower back.

We were so caught up in ourselves that we didn't hear someone walking down the hallway or opening the bedroom door.

"Sorry, I just forgot my- Oh my God", Soda started, cutting himself off.

Pony got off of me and hugged me into his chest. Both of our faces were glowing red.

"I'll just be going now", Soda spoke, grabbing something and rushing out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Sorry 'bout that", Pony apologized sheepishly as he lay down on his side, being careful not to hurt the stitches.

"It's okay", I assured him. "We should probably be getting to sleep anyway. It's been a long day."

"Okay", he agreed, giving me a kiss on the forehead and pulling me to him so we were laying down and facing each other.

"Goodnight, honey. I love you."

"Goodnight, darlin'. I love you too. And I always will."

The next morning when Pony and I woke up, we just stayed cuddled up in the warm bed for as long as we could.

When we heard Darry yell out "Breakfast", we knew that we unfortunately had to get up, though.

Pony tugged on an old shirt before we padded into the kitchen and sat down at the table, me on Pony's lap with my head on his shoulder. The rest of the gang followed shortly after.

Pony and I didn't make eye-contact with Soda because of what had happened the night before.

"Hey, what's that?", Darry asked.

"What's what?", i questioned, taking my head out of Pony's shoulder to look at him.

"On your neck", he clarified.

I looked at him confusedly and then at Pony.

"Do you see something on my neck?", I asked him.

Pony stared at my neck for a second before his eyes widened and he nodded slowly.

"Well, what the hell is it?"

"Oh my God!", Two-Bit exclaimed, "It's a hickey."

Darry, Steve, and Soda choked on their food as my eyes went as wide as Pony's and my face turned beet red. I covered my face with my hands to avoid eye-contact with anyone.

"Ponyboy?", Darry asked slowly, "Did you give Lily a hickey?"

"I guess I did", he muttered, "I didn't mean to. I was just kissing her and I guess I got a little carried away…"

I hid my face in his chest and shook my head, cutting him off.

"This is not happening", I murmured into his shirt, "It;s just not happening."

"Well, I walked in on 'em last night", Soda piped up, "And it wasn't pretty. They were basically tongue-wrestling-"

"Shut up, Soda", Pony and I both said, effectively cutting him off.

I stood up and walked into the bathroom, looking at my neck in the mirror. Sure enough, there was a big mark right where Pony had been kissing and sucking on my neck the night before.

"Really, Pony?", I groaned, loud enough that he could hear me from the kitchen, "Did you really have to make it _that_ obvious?"

The gang was in hysterics in the kitchen when I walked in, except for Darry and Pony. Darry was rubbing his temples like he was frustrated, but I could see the corners of his mouth starting to turn up into a smile. Pony had a sheepish, apologetic expression on his face.

"Boy, he really got you good!", Two-Bit laughed.

"Pony really _is_ growin' up!", Steve exclaimed, "He just gave his girl his first hickey!"

"Now _this_ is going to be hard to explain to your folks", Darry told me with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"I really am sorry, darlin' ", Pony told me, standing up and coming over to me, "I didn't mean to do that."

"It's fine, honey", I assured hi, "Really, it is. It's just hiding it from my parents that's worryin' me. They'll crap themselves when they see."

"What'd you bring to wear today?", he asked.

"A t-shirt and jeans. Why?"

"You can wear one of my sweatshirts. That ought'a hide it."

"Glory, do I hope so, Pony."

"Please tell me y'all don't need the talk", Darry said over his coffee.

Pony and I both shook our heads profusely.

"Nope", I told him, "I think we're good."

"Well, you're gettin' told either way", Soda started, "When a man and a woman love each other very much-"

I covered my ears with my hands and started humming an unrecognizable tune loudly, so I wouldn't have to hear. "La, la, la, la,! I'm not listening!"

"They gave us this talk back in seventh grade, Soda!", Pony whined, "Besides, Two-Bit and Dally already told me things that I didn't need to know."

Darry and Soda both looked chastisingly at Two-Bit, who gave them an innocent expression in response.

"What?", he asked.

"What on God's earth did you tell our baby brother, Matthews?", Soda questioned.

"I'm not a baby! I'm fifteen for Christ's sake!", Pony exclaimed.

His brothers ignored his comment and continued their stare-down of Two-Bit until he relented.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but not while she's in here", he said, nodding his head in my direction.

"Oh no, Keith. You're not gettin' rid of me that easily. Y'all already saw and laughed at my hickey, so I think I deserve to know what kinda stuff you told my boyfriend about." I put my hands on my hips and gave him the motherly 'Do you really want to mess with me?' look.

"Well, first of all, I told him…", Two-Bit rambled on and on about all of the "advise" he gave Pony, making everyone in the room blush. Except for me. I had experienced the terror that was the seventh grade sex and puberty talk like Pony had and my parents had told me (well, my mom had told me) about it, along with what boys did to girls who were walking down the street alone at night sometimes. It didn't really phase anymore.

When Two-Bit finished, I gave him the most confused look.

"And why did you tell him the stuff?"

"Why not?", he smirked.

"What am I gonna do with you boys?", I chuckled.

 **Hello, my people! I think the next chapter will be the last one for this part of the story before I make a sequel/continuation. And just in case you guys were wondering, this is the inspiration for the ring:**

listing/399902175/sterling-silver-birthstone-personalized?ref=listing-shop-header-2

 **I love y'all and stay gold!-AthenaRavenclaw13**


	35. Chapter 35

One day, about a week after the rumble, Pony and I were walking from one of our classes and he asked me about Angela and if she had been bothering me.

"No, thank God. After the rumble, she hasn't done anything about me. I hope it stays that way."

"Me too. I'll see you in a minute", he told me, rushing off to his locker before our next class, English with Ms. DeLange.

I sat down at the desk that Pony and I shared, waiting for him. When he came into the room sat next to me, I put my head on his shoulder.

"I'm tired", I complained.

"I know", he said, patting my cheek affectionately.

I laughed. "No soy un gato."

"Yo sé. Tú eres _una gata_."

Laughing again, I rolled my eyes at him and took out my papers.

"So, what ever happened to you auditioning for 'The Nutcracker'?", Pony questioned.

I froze a little, "When the auditions were going on, I was all messed up because of Angela, so I didn't even audition. I was in a slump."

"I'm sorry to hear that", he said, "I know you were excited about that."

I shrugged, "There's always next year. And, besides, there's talk of them changing the production to 'Swan Lake' next year."

"Do you like 'Swan Lake' better?"

"Yeah. I love all of Tchaikovsky's music, but I prefer his music in 'Swan Lake'. My favorite will always be his 'Pas de Deux' from 'The Nutcracker', though."

"Gesundheit."

"I didn't sneeze, you doof", I smiled, "It's a piece of music. It's French."

"But you don't know French."

"I know more French than you would expect."

That was when Ms. DeLange walked in and started talking about a book that we would be reading in class. It was pretty boring, but since I enjoyed English, I was okay.

A couple days before Christmas, I went over to the Curtis' house to hang out. That day was the second day of my period, which usually meant cramps for me, but none had come yet, so I just went on with my day. It wasn't like I had never hung out with the gang while I was on my period before. I was wearing jeans and a camisole with Pony's sweatshirt that he had let me borrow when I left his house with my now-faded hickey. My hair was in a Dutch braid down my back.

"I have arrived!", I exclaimed as I walked into the house.

"We can tell!", Soda yelled back.

I knocked on Pony's door and walked in when he said that I could. Pony was sitting cross-legged on his bed, clad in sweatpants, a wife-beater, and a pair of socks. His hair was adorably disheveled, tufts of the auburn-tinted-brown strands sticking out along his cowlick and some pieces falling into his forehead. It was obvious that he hadn't brushed it or greased it. A book was sitting on his lap, which his eyes were trained on.

"What're you smilin' at, darlin'?", he asked, knocking me off of my train of thought.

"You just look cute today", I told him, plopping down onto the bed next to him, immediately regretting it when I felt my tampon go in deeper. Luckily, he didn't notice me wince because he had looked back at the book on his lap, placing a bookmark in to mark his page.

"Don't I look cute everyday?", he joked.

I shrugged, a smirk on my face.

Pony leaned over and gave me a peck on the lips.

"What do you want to do?", I asked.

"I dunno. We could play a game."

"What game?"

"Twenty-one questions?"

"Sure. Why not?"

We turned so we were facing each other on the bed.

"Um…", I said, thinking of a question. "What's your favorite color?"

Pony smirked at my lack of originality. "Orange. What's your's?"

"Pony, you know this one", I laughed.

He thought about it for a bit before answering as though he was asking a question. "Blue?"

"There ya go. Now it's your turn."

"What's your birthday?", he questioned jokingly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "September third, nineteen-fifty one. At four-o' three in the afternoon. Can you drive?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean? You don't even have your learner's permit yet", I laughed.

"The gang taught me. It was one hell of a process, though. Favorite season?"

"Spring. Favorite word in a English?"

"Ricochet. Favorite quote?"

" 'In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart' from Anne Frank. Where would you-" I suddenly stopped my sentence when a cramp hit, wincing. _Damn it,_ I thought, _Do they really have to start now?_

"Are you okay?", Pony asked, concerned.

"Yeah", I waved it off, "I'm fine. Just gimme a sec."

"Darlin', something's wrong. I can tell. Can you tell me please? I want to help."

My face turned red from embarrassment just as another cramp hit me. I let out a moan and clutched the bed sheets in my fists.

"Are you hurt? Where…". I cut him off, holding up a finger to say 'Just wait'. When the cramp went down from a stabbing pain to a steady throb, I answered.

"Cramps, Pony. They're cramps. I'm on my period." My face felt hot and the cramp hit full gear again, making me groan and scrunch my eyes closed in pain.

Pony got a confused look on his face.

"Please tell me you know what a period is", I muttered.

He avoided the question and asked me a new one of his own. "What can I get you?"

"Aspirin", I managed to get out, gripping the sheets even tighter.

"I'll be right back", Pony told me, getting off the bed and walking out of the room.

Ponyboy's POV

When I walked out of my room, I immediately went over to the gang. They were all lounging around the living room (save for Darry). Soda, Steve, and I were on our first day off from work for Christmas Break. So was Lily.

"I need some help", I told them in a whisper.

"With what?", Soda asked. "Is everything alright?"

"It's just…Lily's on her period. What do I do?"

"Well, first of all", Two-Bit started, "you need to be prepared for lots of screaming and yelling. She's gonna be happy at one moment and crying the next and then yelling at you. Be careful. Don't make her mad, or you're screwed."

I was so confused. I had heard the gang mention "periods" before, but I had no idea what they were. It seemed like a taboo subject.

"There's gonna be blood", Steve added, "so watch out for that too."

My eyes widened. _Blood?_ Why was there _blood?_ Was she bleeding? Was she hurt?

"Um…", I spoke hesitantly. "The aspirin's in the cabinet, right?"

"In the cabinet", Soda repeated in confirmation.

I practically ran over to the cabinet in the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of aspirin, along with a glass of water before going back to me and Soda's room.

When I knocked on the door, I was met with a weak groan as answer, which I took as and okay to go in.

I walked into the room cautiously, not wanting to do something that would make Lily mad. She was doubled over, clutching the sheets in her fists and her face was contorted in pain. I felt really bad for her with, well, whatever she was going through.

Placing the water and aspirin on the bedside table, I carefully sat on the bed next to her. When she looked up, I flinched, scared she was going to scream at me like the guys said she would. Instead, she just looked confused at my expression. She had tears in her eyes.

"You never answered my question form earlier", she said after she stopped gripping the sheets as hard, "Do you actually know what a period is?"

I shook my head.

"Did you just tell the guys?"

I nodded again, scared that she would be mad.

"What did they say?"

"They said that I should be careful because there would be blood and you would scream at me", I informed her hesitantly.

"Jesus Christ", she muttered, "What the hell are they teaching you boys in these heath classes? Okay, so I'm gonna try to explain what a period is. You know that girls have the babies and you know approximately where babies come out of, don't you?"

"They come out of…", I gestured to her privates, "there."

Lily smiled a bit. "Yes, they do. And you know that two people have to have sex to make a baby, right?"

I nodded, my ears turning red.

"So, girls have these things called ovaries in their bodies. They have all the eggs. During a period they travel down the fallopian tubes to the uterus where the baby grows in a pregnant woman. The uterus has created a lining on its walls, so when the egg gets down there, it can be fertilized by the male's…sperm…" She stopped talking for a little bit, gripping the sheets again for about a minute before talking again. "So when the egg isn't fertilized, the uterus says a giant 'screw you' to the woman and starts shedding and sloughing off the lining and the egg. All this gets removed through the vagina as blood and mucus and stuff. It ain't pretty. So, since we haven't…had sex, I'm not pregnant and therefore I have my period."

"And how often does this happen exactly?", I questioned, my face probably looking a tad disgusted.

"Once a month for about a week. The cramps are muscles contracting to get all the stuff out and it's a fraction of the pain women have to go through during labor. I know it's gross, but can you please not have that expression on your face? All this crap is natural and I've learned to deal with it for three years." Suddenly her always pale skin somehow turned an even paler shade and she gripped the sheets again, looking like she was about to rip them. Her face contorted in pain once again and and she bit her lip, a tear making its way down her cheek.

I felt terrible. She had to go through this every month for a week? That seemed awful and she was taking it much better than I probably would have. I regretted looking grossed out by it. The least I could do was be more supportive about this and try to help her.

Back to Lily's POV

I had never had cramps this bad before, though my cramps were usually pretty bad. It annoyed me when Pony looked grossed out by the concept of a period, even though I knew it sounded disgusting. I tried getting through the cramp that was happening, which had been the worst so far. I barely even breathed for fear that it wold make the cramp hurt even more. The sheets were gripped so tightly between my fists, I could tell my knuckles were turning white. A tear unconsciously came from my eye from the pain. After sitting there in pain for longer than seemed necessary, I felt Pony lightly tap my arm. Turning my head slowly, I saw him looking at me with a concerned expression and holding out a glass of water an some aspirin. I tried moving as little as possible as I took two of the pills and swallowed them with the water. After a couple minutes, the cramp dulled down enough that I could move a little without the fear of feeling more pain in the process.

"Did it go down some?", Pony asked quietly.

I nodded and took off the sweatshirt before gesturing Pony over next to me, leaning my head on his shoulder when he came. He carefully lay me down on the bed and lay next to me, so his stomach was to my back.

"Where does it hurt?", he questioned, rubbing my exposed arm.

"Here", I whispered, pointing to the bottom of my stomach where the pain was worst.

I felt Pony move his hand under my camisole to the area on my stomach. He started gently rubbing circles in my stomach, causing me to take in a small, sharp, quiet breath at the coldness of his hand on my warm stomach.

He kissed my head and started humming 'Love Me Tender' just loud enough that I could hear it. His forearm of the arm that was rubbing my stomach was resting in the dip of my waist and his other arm was under my head and its hand was holding mine.

After about half an hour of this, the aspirins kicked in and the cramps started to subside.

"Thank you", I told him.

"It's no problem. It must be horrible and I figured that was the least I could do."

I smiled. "It _is_ horrible, but if having this means that I can have kids when I'm older, I'll deal with it."

He kissed me behind my ear. "We never finished our game, you know."

I laughed a little, "Well, I forget what I was going to ask you."

"Just think of something else to ask, then."

After thinking for a minute, I asked him a question. "What would your perfect future look like?"

"Well", he started, "you and I would be married and we'd have kids. However many you want. We would be out of Tulsa, more in the country in a nice two-story house. There could be a pet or two and there would be a big yard for the kids to run around in. We would both have gone to college and gotten our degrees, you in teaching and me in whatever I decide on doing. Our kids wouldn't have to deal with greasers and Socs and they wouldn't be in danger of being jumped. The girls would look like you. The boys would look like me. Or maybe a mixture. I know we'd love 'em to death and I'd like to think I'd be a good dad. I already know you'd be an amazing mom."

I rolled over to look at him about halfway through his answer, only to see a dreamy, far-away look in his eyes that told me that he had thought about this before, which I found adorable. Smiling, I waited for him to notice that I was staring at him and when he did, he smiled back.

"I like that", I told him, "That sounds perfect. What was your mom's name?"

"Audrey. Why?"

"Just wondering. That was my question. Now your's."

We continued like this, asking questions until we couldn't think of any more. I went to the bathroom and changed my tampon before the two of us got up and went into the living room, deciding to socialize at least a little bit.

"So you're on your 'lady-days'?", Two-Bit asked.

"Yep", I answered. "Does that bother you?"

"Naw. Hasn't for years. It's not like I've never had a gal."

"How _is_ Kathy, by the way?", Soda questioned.

"Kathy decided that I was too 'high maintenance' ", Two-Bit told us, making quotation marks with his fingers. "She broke up with me months ago. I'm surprised y'all didn't notice. I just started seein' this new gal a couple months ago. She's real nice. Tuff too. It's 'er first year at TU."

"You're dating a college girl?", Pony asked suspiciously.

"Yup", Two-Bit haughtily smirked.

"I never thought I'd see the day", I laughed. "So what's she studying?"

"She said it was somethin' to do with newspapers or somethin'. Journal-whatever."

"It's called journalism", I smiled, "What's her name?"

"Rachel."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Rachel?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, me and Ashlynn know a girl at our dance school named Rachel. She was the only other greaser girl besides us two and last year was her final year. She went to TU for journalism. Do you happen to have a picture of her?"  
"Umm…", Two-Bit trailed the word on as he rummaged for his wallet in his pocket and pulled it out, finally supplying what looked like a picture. "Yeah, I do. Here."

I looked at the picture he handed me and saw, lo and behold, Rachel Johnson from dance. Her smile was just as big and bright as ever and she had the same dark brown eyes, curly black hair and dark complexion. Tulsa University had only started allowing African-Americans into the school fairly recently and she was one of the first enrolled. Our dance school hadn't been enrolling them for much longer than TU.

"Yep", I confirmed. "That's Rachel alright. You could tell from a mile away. It's that smile."

"I'll say", Two-Bit chuckled as I passed the photograph to Ponyboy.

"I mean, she sounds sweet and all and I'm happy for you, bud, but what're you gonna do? Folks ain't gonna be too keen on you goin' with a black gal", Steve spoke.

Two-Bit nodded. "Yeah, we know. We're tryin' to be as careful as we can when we're walkin' 'round town and such so people don't see us."

"It's stupid", I said. "It makes no sense, not lettin' people do what they wanna just 'cause of their race."

"Ain't that the truth", Two-Bit sighed, "But that's what we gotta deal with."

Christmas passed without any issue. I got the usual few gifts and a few little things from relatives in Boston. The same went for the twins. When I called the Curtis house to talk to Pony and wish him and the gang a Merry Christmas, I could hear Darry chewing out Two-Bit in the background for something or other, making me laugh. When New Year's Eve came around, Pony couldn't stay over my house like he had the year before.

Towards the end of break, it was obvious that Two-Bit was actually trying to be successful now (Rachel always _was_ a good influence). He started asking Pony and I for help with some of his schoolwork when we got back (the stuff we knew, at least) and was barely ever absent. He had also cut back on his drinking and cigarettes. We were all shocked, a happy shocked, but shocked nonetheless.

A couple days after we got back to school for the first day of school in 1967, it was Darry's birthday. Per usual, a small party was held at the Curtis' house with only the gang and their girlfriends in attendance, meaning it was the first time any of the boys (except for Two-Bit, obviously) or Evie had met Rachel. She merged with the gang with no problem at all, her humor and charm attracting them to her immediately. It was obvious how Two-Bit fell for her and how head-over-heels he really was for her. Her, Ashlynn, and I caught up during the party, asking the eldest how her time at Tulsa University was going and how she had been doing since we had last seen her and Evie and her did their more basic conversation since they had only just met.

"Y'all gotta catch up to me!", she laughed when she noticed how tall her 5'9 figure was compared to Ashlynn's and mine. "I ain't shrinkin', so if you wanna look me in the eye, you better get crackin'."

I gave her a faux glare and stuck my tongue out at her, even though I was holding back a smile and laugh and I could tell Ashlynn was too. Evie was quietly laughing, her red-painted lips giving way to a bright smile.

"You're so mean!", I said, accidentally letting a laugh escape. "I don't know how Keith deals with you."

"Don't call me that!", we heard the exasperated, yet amused exclamation of the man in question come from the other room. The four of us looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter so hard, it made my stomach ache and tears come to my eyes.

After a few minutes of us laughing, we composed ourselves, wiping the tears from our eyes and letting out a few small laughs every so often. That was when Pony came into the living room where we were with an amused smiled on his face.

"Am I interrupting something?", he chuckled.

"No, you're good", I assured him with a smile.

"C'mon", he said, taking my hand and pulling me off the couch.

Rachel wolf-whistled at us as we walked to the back door.

"Awe, shut your trap", I laughed, turning to her quickly before walking out the door.

Pony sat down on a step and patted the spot next to him, gesturing for me to sit down. Tucking my skirt under me, I sat down before turning to him.

"Is there any reason in specific that you wanted me out here with you?"

"Do I have to have an excuse to spend time with my wonderful girlfriend? Or do you not want to be with me?", he smirked.

"Now that I think of it…", I jokingly started trailing off and starting to get up.

"Oh no you don't", Pony laughed and pulled me back to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"Hey", I whined, "Let me go!"

"Not a chance, darlin' ", Pony told me, squeezing me even tighter.

"You're gonna suffocate me", I laughed.

"You're overreacting", he chuckled.

"If I promise not to leave, will you let go of me a bit?"

"I think you know what needs to be traded for that right", he told me smugly.

I turned as much as I could and kissed him, feeling his grip around me loosen as I did. When I pulled away, I cuddled up to him.

"Now that that's solved, will you tell me why you brought me out here?"

"I haven't really been able to get any alone time with you today with the party and all. Besides, I thought we could watch the sunset", Pony told me, taking my cold hand in his warm one.

"Well, you could've told me this beforehand", I chuckled. "I would've brought my coat."

"Here", he said, taking off his coat and laying it over my shoulders before bringing me back into his side. "Better?"

"Much", I smiled. That was when the sun started to sink under the horizon, turning the icy blue sky into a watercolor painting of purples and oranges and pinks. The previously white cotton-ball clouds took on the color of their backdrop and the sun turned a fiery orange color.

I leaned my head on my boyfriend's shoulder, breathing in the scent of his cologne and cigarettes, not because he had been smoking them, but because so many people had smoked so many of them over the years, the house itself had been stained with the smell of nicotine and tobacco.

"Isn't it beautiful?", I stated, though I said it more as a question.

"Gorgeous", Pony agreed. "But there is one thing more beautiful."

"And what would that be?", I turned my head to look at his.

"Well, she's sitting right next to me", he answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I blushed and looked down a little, smiling. I still couldn't fathom how after more than a year, he could still make me blush like this.

His hand tilted my chin upwards to see my face, letting me come face-to-face with him. His face, already tanner than mine, had taken on a golden tint from the setting sun, along with his hair. His green eyes that I had fallen for searched my face with such affection, I wanted yet again to hide my face to shield my forming blush.

I felt one Pony's hands move to my waist, holding me. His other cupped my cheek lightly, running his thumb along the skin there.

I moved my arm around his neck, my hand stroking the back of his neck. I put the opposite hand on his shoulder.

We both moved in and kissed in the light of the setting sun, the moment reminding me of the first time. It seemed like such a long time ago, though it had only been about fifteen months. It was funny, the same amount of time could seem like such a long time ago, yet at the same time, only feel like yesterday.

We stayed there, holding each other, kissing each other like nothing else mattered, as cliché as that sounds.

When we finally pulled away, his eyes met mine, green on brown, and he gave me a gentle smile and a kiss on the forehead.

I put my hand on the one of his that was still resting lightly on my cheek, smiling back at him.

"I love you, Ponyboy", I whispered, feeling that if I spoke any louder, it would ruin the tranquility of our bubble that we had made. "So much."

"I love you too, Lily", Pony spoke back to me. "And I always will."

 **That's the end of "Love Me Tender, Love Me True". Though, it's only the first part of Lily and Pony's story. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I wrote part of the chapter, then got a bit of writer's block for a while. And then I got a cold, which was interesting and also made my voice sound like something inhuman. I think the next part of the story will be titled "Love Me Tender, Love Me Dear", though I'm not completely sure. That should be coming out fairly soon. As I've said before, you guys are the best and most wonderful readers I could have ever asked for and your comments always make my day. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13**


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